Project Starts Monday to Improve Safety, Habitat at Golden Gardens Park, Delta Ponds

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July 2, 2008 CONTACT: Terry Colvin, Project Manager, Public Works Engineering, 541-682-5398 From Public I formation Section, 682-5523 or 954-2938 FOR IMMEDI TE RELEASE Project Sta s Monday to Improve Safety, Habitat at Golden Gardens Park, Delta Ponds Work s scheduled to begin Monday, July 7, on a project to enhance safety and natural areas at Golden Ga dens Park and, at the same time, improve habitat in the Delta Ponds area. Over the next several onths, more than 40,000 cubic yards of clean riparian soils are scheduled to be moved from Golden ardens to Delta Ponds. At Go den Gardens Park in northwest Eugene, City staff used input from a series of public meetings to d sign a set of improvements that improve public safety conditions in the park in a variety of ways. Ba slopes are being reduced, and emergency access is being improved. Perhaps most importantly, ditional trails and opportunities for walking, jogging, viewing and other forms of passive recreation ar being created. Increase use of the park by families, neighbors and outdoor enthusiasts results in a s fer environment. Another aspect of the Golden Gardens Park project is removing invasive veg tation, especially around the banks of the ponds. Later this fall, native grasses, trees and shrubs II be planted. The work will affect approximately 40 acres of the 200-acre park. The c can riparian soils excavated to lay back the banks at the ponds in Golden Gardens Park will be haute across town and carefully placed as "benches" along the edge of the Delta Ponds on both sides of Goodpasture Island Road just north of Valley River Center. This will create wetlands and riparian habit t and fill in some of the steep cuts made years ago when the area was mined for gravel. KSH onstruction is the general contractor for the $920,000 project, with the Golden Gardens Park funding oming the 2006 parks, recreation and open space bond measure approved by Eugene voters and fu ding for the work at Delta Ponds coming from an ongoing collaboration between the U.S. Army C rps of Engineers. Funding for the Delta Ponds work also includes an $87,000 grant from the Oregon epartment of Fish & Wildlife for native plantings once the soil work is completed. Durin construction, Golden Gardens Park will be closed for safety reasons. At the Delta Ponds site, t e work will require lane closures on Goodpasture Island Road; however, at least one travel lane in each direction will be open at all times. For traffic updates go to www.euaene- or.aov/traffic. Project information is available at www.eugene-or.aov/aoldenaardens. i Eugene Public Works • www.eugene-or.gov/pw 858 Pearl S rest, Eugene, Oregon 97501 • 541-682-5523 • fax 541-682-6826 • e-mail pwadmin@ci.eugene.or.us