My Asks for Capital Funding from the Legislature
On May 9th, I went to Salem and requested the legislature to assist in funding two capital projects in Tualatin: the Veterans Plaza shade structure and the retrofit of our existing water reservoirs to include seismic valves.
The Veterans Plaza is our newest park feature, located in The Commons by Lee’s Kitchen. The Commons is a primary gathering place for the community, with events ranging from lunchtime concerts in the summer to the 20,000+ attendees at the annual West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta. I requested $250,000 to complete the construction of a shade structure feature in Veterans Plaza, which had to be eliminated from the project due to escalating construction costs. Providing shade structures significantly enhances visitor comfort, particularly during hot summer months. Shaded areas offer a cool retreat where park-goers can relax and escape the heat.
The $4 million project was a passion project for many in the community – with over 900 residents participating in initial planning and 650 helping to select which elements to include. Construction of the Veterans Plaza is now complete, and the ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Memorial Day. If you have not visited yet, please do. The plaza includes a reflecting pool, seating, a labyrinth, a synthetic turf area, a story circle and three pieces of art created by sculptor Douwe Blumberg: Wings of Hope, Wings of Freedom, and Flames of Honor.
My second request is for $1.75 million to retrofit all six of our existing reservoirs to include seismic valving. Each retrofit is estimated to cost $291,666. Tualatin purchases treated water from the City of Portland and distributes it through 111 miles of water lines and to over 7,050 residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal service connections. Public Works has programmed significant capital investments over the next five years, including $4.5 million next fiscal year for our aquifer and storage site.
Tualatin has limited supplementary water from its aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) well and several emergency interties with neighboring cities, but none of these sources are adequate to meet the community’s needs in the event of an earthquake. In the event of a disruption, seismic valves capture the stored water in the reservoirs and prevent it from leaking into the distribution system. This will ensure the city has water in the event of an emergency.
If you have a moment, please call and/or email Tualatin’s state representative and senator and ask that they work with their colleagues to fund these two projects. Representative Jules Walters can be reached by email at rep.juleswalters@oregonlegislature.gov and by phone at 503-986-1437. Senator Rob Wagner’s email address is sen.robwagner@oregonlegislature.gov, and his phone number is 503-986-1600.
