Marion County residents next week will have a chance to share their thoughts with county officials on the development of Parkdale Park in Hayesville, just outside city limits in northeast Salem.
The project is intended to add more outdoor green space and an improved stormwater system to a 6-acre park that has remained undeveloped despite recent housing growth in the area.
County officials will present updates on the development at a public meeting on Tuesday, June 20, from 6 to 8 p.m. at People’s Church, 4500 Lancaster Dr. N.E. People can ask questions or provide comments in person at the meeting.
The development is expected to be completed in 2026, according to Yancee Gordon, spokeswoman for the county’s Public Works Department.
The site is managed as greenspace primarily for mowing and litter pickup, according to the county’s website. The park is located just under a half-mile from Adam Stephens Middle School and a mile from Yoshikai Elementary School.
The county has set aside $365,000 of federal pandemic relief money for the park’s development.
The Marion County Board of Commissioners on March 29 also authorized the county’s Parks Department to apply for a state grant for the development of Parkdale Park.
In east Salem, where the natural green space and park amenities are underdeveloped, the Hayesville neighborhood is seeing “rapid growth” with several large housing developments currently underway in the area, according to the March meeting agenda.
But Parkdale Park hasn’t seen any major development since 1962.
The project is also intended to provide “educational opportunities for children to learn about wetlands and nature through interactive play and interpretive features,” Gordon said in an email.
When the public works department in summer 2021 corrected a road safety problem in the Lake Labish basin, the construction disturbed a small area of wetland. Another wetland needed to be built, and county officials looked at a park about four miles south of the area.
“By constructing the wetland in Parkdale Park, the county could not only meet its legal obligations, but also provide increased stormwater retention, enhanced wildlife habitat, increased biodiversity, environmental education opportunities, improved water quality, and a beautiful greenspace for area residents,” according to the project website.
The county planted native grasses, flowers, and sedges in the park’s wetland area and will mow the vegetation each year to prevent brush growth and weeds.
There were also 70 ash trees planted at the site. Their lower branches will eventually be pruned to allow clear lines of sight at the park “to help discourage unwanted activities,” according to the website.
To check out the park, take Northeast Cordon Road and turn left on Hayesville Drive and find it just past Janic Street on the left at 4650 Hayesville Dr. N.E.
People can also comment on the county’s plan for the park by completing an online survey.
Those with questions can contact the parks department’s administrative office at 503-588-5036 and [email protected], or Parks Coordinator Russ Dilley at (503) 588-5036.
Information and updates on the development can be found on the project website.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
