North Morrow
Volume XXVIII Number 9 March 4, 2022
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Long time Park Manager, Ted Lieurance retiring June 30th
trict office and installation of the double-wide ranger residence, the addition of a tenting area in the campground, the total rewiring of the campground, construction of the campground check in booth and fish cleaning station, building the soccer field at Oregon Potato, Inc., installation of irrigation and grass along Main Street as well as the four offramp areas at the Main Street overpass, the newly added disc golf course and the biggest project of all, Boardman Park & Recreation District Manager the passing of the Ted Lieurance retires soon after 32 years with General Obligation Boardman Park & Recreation District. Bond for the conSpending thirty two years at struction of the 41,000 square the same job is unusual in this foot Boardman Pool & Recreday and age. Ted Lieurance ation Center, which was comstarted work at Boardman pleted in 2017. “By us installing all of the Park & Recreation District March 6, 1990 as Park Man- irrigation and doing the landager. The job back then was a scaping, we saved the District lot of maintenance, irrigation over $120,000 on the Rec Ceninstallation and repair and ter alone,” says Ted. He added very few employees to oversee. that the project was the biggest The job has grown into the title he had ever undertaken. “I figure we’ve raised and District Manager, and duties planted over 1,000 trees in have grown too. Ted has overseen (and been Boardman,” Ted laughs. He inihands on the shovel) for many tiated a nursery area in the Park so he could purchase additions to the District. “Our first project after I small, inexpensive saplings, started was construction of the plant them in the nursery until Harold Baker Pavilion,: he they reached a decent growth, stated. Other projects include and then planted the trees the addition of a boat pump-out throughout the community. Lieurance was born in station, remodeling the day use parking lot, replacing the boat Roseburg, lived in Coos Bay for launch, additional boat slips, 16 years during grade and high construction of the Sunset Ga- school, and graduated from zebo, the addition of the north University of Montana with a softball field, installation of an degree in Parks & Recreation outdoor basketball court management. After college, he worked sea(twice!) installation of the paved walking trail along the sonally at Washington State river, construction of the Dis- Parks, and filled his other time
with logging in the Goldendale, Washington area. In 1990, Ted moved to Boardman with his new job, and became part of the community. He has served on the City of Boardman Budget Committee, board member of Boardman Community Development Association, Morrow County Parks Committee, Morrow County Tourism Committee and is the longest serving board member of Columbia River Health. Ted turned a penpal relationship with a girl from the Ukraine into a lifelong commitment when he married Tanya in 1996. “She had to get an exit visa to join me in Boardman,” he says. “That turned into quite an ordeal!” Tanya settled into Boardman, becoming a United States citizen, studied to become a registered nurse, which added to her three other degrees in accounting, lab technology and library science. She has worked in the Labor & Delivery department at Good Shepherd Hospital since 2005. Working at the Park District meant many seven days per week hours, but Ted always looked forward to his extended vacation time during the winters, when park activities slowed down. “I love to travel,” he laughed. “so Tanya and I have planned and taken many adventures throughout the years.” Some of the travels they have taken (besides numerous trips to Ukraine to visit her parents) have been to Greece, Italy, Mexico, Egypt, Fiji, French Polynesia, France, Belgium, Canada, China, Spain and Indonesia. “We’ve traveled to 26 different countries,” he says, and I’d like to go to another hundred countries,” laughs Ted. The Lieurances purchased a home in Vancouver, Washington in 2017, looking ahead to retirement. They rented out the house, luckily to one couple the entire time, until last Novem-
ber. The Lieurances are repainting, recarpeting and undergoing some remodeling on their home, which they will move to when Ted retires from the District June 30th. The couple has enjoyed their boating on the Columbia River around Boardman, and intend to visit the lakes and rivers near
Vancouver when they move. The Park District is interviewing applicants for District Manager, and hope to have the right person hired before Ted retires. The community will miss Ted’s positive outlook and involvement in the area. Best of luck to the Lieurances!
Join us Monday, March 7th * 4:00 to 6:00 pm Rec Center Gym To meet the District Manager Candidates for Boardman Park & Recreation District