Turner Creek Park

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Turner Creek Park
250px
Tennis courts at the park
Type Public, city
Location Hillsboro, Oregon
United States
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[1]
Area 12.5 acres (51,000 m2)
Created 1990
Operated by Hillsboro Parks & Recreation Department
Status open
Website Turner Creek Park

Turner Creek Park is a municipal park in Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon. Opened about 1990, the 12.5-acre (51,000 m2) park is located in the middle of the city along Turner Creek near southwest 32nd Avenue between Tualatin Valley Highway and Main Street. The park includes a playground, restrooms, several sports facilities, and natural areas with trails.

History

Turner Creek Park opened about 1990 near W. L. Henry Elementary School and southwest 32nd Avenue in the center of Hillsboro.[2] Construction included building dams and trails along the creek, with some labor provided by an alternative school program paid for by the federal government.[3] During construction the city received donation of nearly 100 trees from a local nursery and Portland General Electric, with volunteers providing the labor to plant the trees.[2] During the summer of 1992 some trees at the park died due to a drought.[4] The city sought to receive 75 live former Christmas trees in donations from local residents after Christmas in 1992 to plant at the park to replace those that died.[4]

From 1993 to 1994, the city’s parks and recreation department worked with civic groups and used a grant to improve the natural areas of the park, which included consolidation of a variety of trails, plantings, and adding bird houses.[5] A wildflower garden was added in 1997.[6] Bisected by Turner Creek, the wetlands area of the park and the creek have experienced numerous sewer overflows beginning around 1995.[7][8][9] An older sewer line runs along the creek and passes through the park on its way south to the wastewater treatment plant operated by Clean Water Services at Rock Creek.[10][11] The city was fined $32,000 by the state over its clean up of spills in 2006.[11]

The park played host to Heritage Christian School’s Latin Olympika games in 2003.[12] City residents rejected a bond measure in November 2008 that would have paid for improvements at Turner Creek Park among six other parks as well as a recreation center at 53rd Avenue Park.[13] As of August 2009, Turner Creek was one of only three parks in the city that had not been adopted under the parks departments adopt a park program.[14]

Amenities

Trail down a small canyon
Bridge and dam
The west section of the park contains natural areas

The 12.5-acre (5.1 ha) park includes athletic facilities, wetlands, and wooded sections.[15] Features include play equipment for children, picnic areas, restrooms, and parking.[15] Sports features are two tennis courts, one soccer field, and two softball fields.[15]

The natural area on the west side of the park has paved and wood chip trails leading to a boardwalk and bridge across Turner Creek.[15] These trails run down a small canyon that separates the improved portions of the park from the creek and connect to the elementary school.[16][17] About four acres are along the creek, which was changed to meander through the area which includes ponds and islands.[15] The city changed the stream by building small dikes that are closed in the summertime to collect water and create pools for use by wildlife, including great blue herons.[16] Other animals at the park include garter snakes, gulls, frogs, fish, and blackbirds among others.[17] Flora include purple iris, sedges, nodding beggar-tick, knotweed, jewelweed, and Veronica.[17]

References

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  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 Appendix D: Park Descriptions, p. 32. Parks Master Plan. City of Hillsboro. Retrieved on September 18, 2009.
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External links

  • Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons