Tag PARKS
5 takeaways: What’s driving Salem’s rising public safety costs amid city budget crisis
A historic look of Salem’s budget showed spending on police and fire has heavily outpaced inflation, while their staffing hasn’t kept up with rising costs. Here are five key takeaways from two decades of city budget data.
Salem police, fire spending skyrocketed over 2 decades while staff stayed flat, budget data shows
Salem Reporter took a historic look at the budget for two of the city’s most expensive departments, police and fire. The agencies’ staffing hasn’t kept up with rising costs, and their spending has grown far faster than inflation.
New upgrades, skatepark coming to Geer Community Park in fall 2025
Construction is scheduled to begin in March to add a dog park, splash pad, sports fields and more to Geer Community Park.
Cougar confirmed at Minto-Brown Island Park
After several unconfirmed sightings since October, city staff this week confirmed the presence of a cougar in Minto-Brown Island Park using trail cameras. Parks staff advise using caution and avoiding the area at dusk, dawn and at night.
Bush Park’s “heart and soul” celebrates 89th birthday after decades volunteering
Sofia Schwarz is known for two decades of volunteer work to rake and restore Bush’s Pasture Park. She celebrated the park and shared favorite stories at her 89th birthday party on Thursday.
Invasive plant removal, play equipment coming to Salem parks with annual grant
A dozen parks will get money from the Salem Parks Improvement Fund this year, a record number for the 18-year-old program.
Section of Minto-Brown Island Park trail to temporarily close for plantings
A section just south of the Peter Courtney Minto Island Bridge will close Dec. 8 and 9 from 7:30 a.m. to around 3 p.m as crews add native plants along the trail.
Peter Courtney Minto Island Bridge and section of trail to temporarily close for restoration
The two-day closure begins Nov. 16.
Bill Riegel Park to reopen this month with improvements
The park, located in the Southeast Mill Creek neighborhood, has been closed and under construction since July. The latest changes complete the second and final phase of a $740,000 improvement project that began over a decade ago.