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Updated draft concept plan (526 kb PDF)
SUMMARY
Overall the park plan takes a low-impact approach, and maintains the existing wooded character of the site as much as possible. Along with maintaining the natural feeling of the park, the project would provide some standard neighborhood park elements.
An ADA accessible, paved loop walking path will make the space more useable during the wet seasons and encourage visitors to explore deeper into the park. A wood chip path in the southwest corner of the property would connect the paved loop trail with the adjacent public works property south of the water tower. A future, currently unfunded walking path connects the west side of the loop path to NE 53rd Street.
The plan also includes a small playground with equipment on the northeast side of the loop path.
One picnic table is included in a visible location near Northeast 54th Street.
Several benches would be located throughout the park where park visitors can rest and enjoy nature.
A small, flat, open meadow is centrally located in the park. Some trees would be cleared in this area to allow for activities like playing catch, practicing soccer or playing Frisbee.
One of the big pushes in current park development is to include areas where children and adults can be hands-on with nature. Tower Crest Neighborhood Park is an ideal location for nature play elements because it has such a dramatic natural feeling. “Nature play” can mean many things, but at this location we interpret it using a tree trunk crawl, log forest and boulders. These are areas where visitors can test their strength and balance by climbing over whole and split logs and natural boulders. Another fun nature play element is the provision of material boxes which can be used to collect pine cones, leaves, rocks and sticks.
There are two primary entrances into the park from 54th Street, one on either end of the park. The pathway between the two entrances also would serve as sidewalk for people walking along 54th Street at this location and an access point for maintenance vehicles.
In order to enhance the park’s wildlife habitat and as funding allows, habitat-enhancing, low-growing native shrubs, flowering plants and grasses would be planted in various locations throughout the park as funding allows.
Visibility into the park and safety were major concerns voiced by neighbors at a public meeting in May 2010. In order to help address these concerns, the active use areas, like the playground and picnic table, would be located in front of the park along 54th Street. Improving visibility through the park will be achieved by removing understory shrubs and dead or dying trees and removing the lower limbs from large trees. Specifically, the county would create a “clear zone” approximately 10 feet high along the front of the park and around the playground. Another 10 feet high by 10 feet wide clear zone would be maintained along the paved walkway. Some additional clearing of the understory will be done to enhance views into and through the meadow area.
Neighbors also expressed concern about children jumping their bicycles out into 54th Street from the park, and bicycling through the park at high rates of speed. The careful placement of boulders, large logs and fencing will help slow down bicycles in the park. An offset fence also will be installed between the park property and the adjacent public works property that will help slow down bikes down as they travel between the two properties. The public works property will remain open to the public.
Five-foot high, chain-link fencing will be installed around the entire park to help define it and provide a clean edge. If neighbors wish to have direct access to the park from their properties, they may work with Vancouver Clark Parks and Recreation to have gates installed in the fence when construction is complete.
Retaining walls will be built along the walkway at NE 54th Street because of the slope at this location. This will result in the loss of some trees along the road that have already been weakened due to erosion of the slope.
This park is designed for neighbors who live within walking or biking distance, so a parking lot and restrooms will not be provided.
Park maintenance crews will visit the park 2-5 times per week after the park is built, depending on the season.
The hours of operation will be 7 a.m. to dusk. Dogs on a leash will be allowed in the park. Violations of the posted park rules, including after-hours use should be reported to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, both now and after the park is developed.
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