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In the first months of the year, WW has twice surveyed the soggier parts of the city: first with a tour of tavern bathrooms, then last week with a cruise past eight riverside properties in some stage of renewal (“River Relaunch,” April 8). Actually, the two subjects have some common history: Until 2011, every time Portland got an inch of rain, raw sewage cascaded into the Willamette. These days, the river less closely resembles a toilet, which may explain why Portlanders find it more interesting. In March, we asked readers to suggest more public restrooms for us to explore; nobody has. But they offered plenty of ideas for what we should examine along the Willamette River. Here’s what our readers had to say:
Travis Williams, via wweek.com: “The simple reality is that having a freeway over and then next to the river on the east side is very problematic. It inhibits a lot of opportunities. Also, the ‘Sea Wall’ could be modified to provide a much larger degree of access on the west side of the river. Portland has always talked a big game, but has lagged in a massive fashion behind other cities on this front.”
Tom Mcroy, via Facebook: “Come to Sellwood in July. It’s a full-on beach scene.”
Portland_D, via wweek.com: “Watercraft rentals, kayaks, canoes, rafts, and standup paddleboards would be welcome again. It is not a high-margin business and sensitive to Oregon liability law.
“Alder Creek Canoe did it from the RiverPlace dock at one time. Other good locations would be in Sellwood, east or west side, Lake Oswego, and the Oregon City area. Lewis & Clark, PSU, and University of Portland could expand their boating programs and open them at low cost to the public with appropriate safety programs.”
Robin Smith, via email: “I know the [Portland Botanical Gardens] project being proposed is very cool…but we already have Leach Botanical, which nearly failed for lack of funding and is hanging on a thread. Perhaps that would be a better use of these resources?”
Lurky of the Manwolfs, via wweek.com: “Somebody should poll the Black community and ask them if they prefer the glass-decked grain elevator [at Albina Riverside]...or just divvy up the cash.”
PDXResi, via wweek.com: “I don’t think we need to spend crazy money on [Waterfront Park Bowl] at first. Let’s start with making the space usable for the public. Clean up the beach area so people can go to the water. I like the idea of making tiered steps for people to lie down on and make a small staging area for events and small performances. Start simple and inexpensive and see if people start using it. It’s a nice area but seems like it is more in the business district and not residential. There are apartments nearby but that’s just the vibe I get. If this park was near the Pearl or Northwest, it would be packed with people every day and then I’d be for throwing more money at this.”
Rachel Cole-Kroll, via Facebook: “River buses (small passenger ferries) as part of public transit, with stops scattered along the river on both sides. Boats zigzag back and forth across the river—we experienced this in Brisbane and it was wonderful!”
Chad Lanning, via Facebook: “I love this idea as a whole, but I just can’t see where they expect any demand. It only takes 20 to 30 minutes to reach downtown from St. Johns via car or bike—there’s absolutely no way a ferry will save on time (because you have to include wait times). The only benefit would be a pleasant ride and no parking worries once downtown.”
Douglas Cook, via MSN: “Get all the drunk boaters and shore denizens out of there.”
DON’T OVERLOOK SWAN ISLAND
Great to see a feature on our fine river with lots of hopeful prospects for improved access, especially in the northern reach [“River Relaunch,” WW, April 8].
But as someone who worked on North Portland’s Swan Island for over 25 years and walked along the river almost every single day, I can’t help but suggest that your failure to mention the existing river access along the 1-mile-long piece of Willamette Greenway Trail on Swan Island was a bit glaring! The trail there is surely one of Portland’s hidden treasures.
Lenny Anderson
Executive director, retired, Swan Island Business Association
Co-founder, Friends of the North Portland Willamette Greenway Trail
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P.O. Box 10770
Portland, OR 97296
Email: amesh@wweek.com
