THE GORGE BUSINESS NEWS
BUSINESS, ART, CULTURE, OUTDOORS, TRA a VEL & ENTERTAINMENT Connecting Communities Throughout the Columbia River Gorge
Oregon and Washington Volume 3 - Issue 3 COMPLIMENTARY Serving
JULY/AUGUST 2019
Adventure Park Coming to the Gorge By Lori Roach
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n May the North Bonneville City Council decided in favor of allocating $250,000 to the Bonneville Trails Foundation (BTF) for the development of the Bonneville Trails Adventure Park, which will include five treehouse climbers, a water feature, mountain climbers and a zipline. The project includes the renovation of the existing bathroom and basketball court as well and will cost $1.1 million by the time it is complete. The initial $250,000 the city allocated will come from the city’s hotel/motel “tourist facility” fund. “As this project is intended for the betterment of North Bonneville and its citizens, no public taxing, levies or bonds are being sought,” said Bonneville Trails Foundation Executive Director Jacob Meyer. “Grant opportunities will be pursued where possible, but the projects main financial support is largely envisioned to come from grassroots donation efforts.” A donation display at North Bonneville City Hall and a “buy a Bigfoot print” are just two of the initial fundraising campaigns that will kick off soon. “Our core fundraising strategy is creating ways for potential supporters to become directly
Artist Rendering of the North Bonneville Adventure Park
integrated into the project,” said Meyer. “To that end, many ideas have come about, with initial focus centered on the footprint donation effort where donators will have the opportunity to purchase and personalize a limited number of specialized Bigfoot footprints to form the main entrance path into the park. These prints will become of one of the main features integrated into the permanent design of the project.”
The money from the city’s ‘tourist facility’ fund combined with existing funds from the Bonneville Trails Foundation would be enough to fully complete the first phase of the project. “The plans include ADA compliance and inclusivity for all abilities. This idea builds on
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Rural Oregon Shows Up Strong at Our Capitol! By Lori Roach
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leven Oregon republican senators fled the state and went into hiding to avoid being rounded up by the Oregon State Police per Governor Kate Brown’s orders. Senate President Peter Courtney called it the “saddest day in my legislative life,” to ask Governor Brown to use state troopers to find the senators. The Oregon 11, as they became known as, stayed away from the state capitol just long enough for HB2020 to die, then returned to work on Saturday and Sunday to pass other important bills for the state. “I am absolutely thrilled that they decided to leave and they are able to kill HB2020,” said State Representative Greg Barreto. “What this Continued on Page 4 has done has basically educated the
Photo courtesy of Jesse Stifel