Thou spreadst a table in my sight

…. My cup runneth over

These images are from the opening celebration for the Holly Farm Park yesterday. It was a joyful occasion, shared by about a hundred adults (seen here listening as Linda Laviolette, Executive Director of the Portland Parks Foundation, begins thanking partners) and close to 50 children, not seen in the lower photograph as they very sensibly continued playing rather than stopping to listen to speeches.

When I first started attending meetings of the West Portland Park Neighborhood Association sixteen years ago, there was no public park land within its boundaries. Today, we have Loll Wildwood, twenty acres of Metro Greenspace preserved for wildlife habitat and water quality around the headwaters of Arnold Creek; 10 acres at the Kerr property which will eventually have walking paths connecting with the Mountain Park trail system; and Holly Farm Park – the finest little 1.77 acre developed park I’ve ever seen. It took four speakers about twenty minutes today, to give abbreviated lists of all the people and groups contributing to turning our dream into reality. Amazing things happen when people work together for good.

Every neighborhood in Portland should have the joy of sharing a park where everyone can gather to relax. There are still many with none. We need a concerted plan to take care of that basic need, and prioritization of city funds to ensure core city services are provided in every neighborhood before some are given premium benefits.