Bend park district OKs Hillside Park improvements

The largely undeveloped off-leash area at Hillside Park will remain more or less intact under a plan approved Tuesday by the Bend Park & Recreation District board.

Earlier this year, the district roused some opposition with its plans for the park on the south slope of Awbrey Butte. Neighbors who frequent the park objected to a proposal to fence the nearly 10-acre off-leash area, raising concerns that the fencing would make it more difficult for walkers to freely wander through the park.

Park district landscape architect Jim Figurski called the plan approved Tuesday a compromise, combining neighbors’ preference for an open space and the district’s desire to keep dogs off private properties adjoining the park.

Instead of surrounding the off-leash area with a chain-link fence, the district will instead build a short, post-and-rail fence strung with fabric to deter dogs from climbing through it. The fence will be broken at several points around the perimeter to allow people to freely come and go from the off-leash area, he said, and will be set back from the edge of the park to preserve existing walking trails.

Vince Proctor, speaking on behalf of a group of neighborhood residents that organized to lobby for a design that wouldn’t segregate users of the off-leash area from other park users, thanked district staff and board members for working with the group.

“I think this is really pretty good government,” Proctor said.

The park district has budgeted $750,000 for the initial stage of the project.

Figurski said that figure should cover the improvements to the dog park, the construction of a new sidewalk along Northwest 12th Street and minor improvements to the more developed portions of the park.

Future work at Hillside Park could include a skatepark, parking and access and other improvements, Figurski said, at an estimated cost of $900,000.

Also on Tuesday, the board approved a $219,000 contract with Cameron McCarthy for planning, architectural and engineering work at both Hillside and Rockridge Park, a proposed park just south of Lava Ridge Elementary School in northeast Bend.

— Reporter: 541-383-0387,

shammers@bendbulletin.com