Inside/Out Newsletter
Clearing the Way for the Washougal Waterfront Park When the former Hambleton Lumber Company sawmill was vacated, the Port saw opportunity. In November 2012, the Port of Camas-Washougal purchased 13 acres of the former Hambleton Lumber Company sawmill site from Killian Pacific, adding to 14 acres of adjacent Port-owned property along the Columbia River. While Killian Pacific retained 13 acres of the parcel, the company and Port redeveloped the entire 40-acre waterfront property into a community park, trail, and mixed-use marketplace, revitalizing downtown Washougal, Washington, into a place to live, work, and play. Washougal Waterfront Park The new 5.73-acre Washougal Waterfront Park includes a 12-foot-wide concrete trail that extends 0.7-mile east along the Columbia River and links to the regional trail system, connecting the Port with the cities of Camas and Washougal and the Columbia River Gorge. Plans for the park include trailhead parking, restrooms, a picnic shelter, an overlook, plazas, water access, and gathering spaces. With scenic views of the Columbia River and Mount Hood, a large open space provides seating with a stage area for concerts and festivals. Sustainable design elements include rain gardens, lowmaintenance native vegetation, and efficient irrigation shoreline restoration. Plans also incorporate pathway lighting, public art components, and interpretive signage with educational features that reflect the local cultural and natural history of the area. BergerABAM’s landscape architecture and urban design team assisted in development of the master plan and preparation of site construction documents for the new park and trail. Initially, the team worked with the Port on 50 percent design, land use planning, and environmental permitting and grant applications. Services provided by BergerABAM included project management, civil and structural engineering, landscape architecture, natural resources, and public involvement. The team is now finishing up final plans, specifications, and cost estimates. Preparing a former waterfront industrial site for redevelopment comes with a unique set of challenges. The project is located on a brownfield site, which requires thoughtful site design and consideration of past lumber processing and sawmill uses. An early environmental assessment found fuel and oil among other contaminants in the soil. Securing a $200,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology included a promise by the Port to clean up the property and restore its natural habitat prior to construction. In anticipation of the solicitation of bids, the Port began clearing invasive vegetation, a process that also revealed a lot of garbage and debris left behind by the mill.
In celebration of Earth Day 2015, the Port arranged a volunteer event, inviting project partners and community members to spend a day assisting with the clean up effort. BergerABAM team members, David Sacamano, Juanita Rogers, Earl Christian, and Michelle Talal, pitched in to help. Tires, cans, bottles, and plastic bags were among the items hauled away by volunteers. One distinctive feature of the historic mill that was not discarded is an old log ramp that was previously used to haul logs from the Columbia River to the shoreline. The log ramp will be repurposed as a non-motorized boat launch for kayaks and canoes. “One of the rewards of working on this project was helping the Port obtain $1.2 million in grant funding. The project was considered the top-ranked project in the state of Washington out of 15 applicants,” said Project Manager David Sacamano. “The Port has been a long-term client of BergerABAM, and we are honored to be involved with this exciting project.” Construction on the $2.1 million park and trail project will begin this summer and will be complete in May 2016. The park will begin hosting trail users, picnics, concerts, and other community events during the summer of 2016. Ultimately, Washougal Waterfront Park will be the foreground of a vibrant community hub teeming with residential, commercial, educational, and recreational amenities. For more information about the project, visit www.washougalwaterfront.com.
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