Grand Ronde, OR. The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde redevelopment project at Willamette Falls is slated to receive $2 million in federal funding toward infrastructure improvements at the former site of the Blue Heron paper mill. The news comes out of U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley’s office, which announced plans for an upcoming Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill.
Senator Jeff Merkley said, “I’m pleased I was able to secure this $2 million in support of the Grand Ronde Tribes’ ongoing effort to clean up and restore the Blue Heron site at Willamette Falls—a location that holds significant historical and cultural significance to tribal nations. I will continue to advocate for this funding as it moves through Congress, and do everything I can to support the sovereignty and self-determination of tribal nations in Oregon.”
Here’s a video about the project:
The site is located in the center of Oregon City, Oregon, at the majestic Willamette Falls, the second largest waterfall in the United States by volume. It suffered years of heavy industrial use at the Blue Heron paper mill, which closed in 2011.
The demolition at the Blue Heron site in Oregon City kicked off in September. As demolition occurs, everything is being sorted so it can be recycled.
As a part of the broader redevelopment effort, which kicked off with demolition in September 2021, Grand Ronde will use this federal funding to improve street infrastructure and utilities on-site. These infrastructure improvements will cost around $3.7 million. This work will include new public access streets and an extension of Main Street from downtown Oregon City into the site. The previously vacated Water Avenue will be constructed from 99E to 4th Street, and 4th Street will be extended from Water Avenue to Main Street. Along with new streets, new public utilities will be installed to serve the development, including sanitary and storm sewers, a water main and facilities, streetlights, and traffic signals.
“Since its foreclosure, the old Blue Heron site has sat empty and abandoned. The funding allocated to the Grand Ronde Tribe under the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development appropriations bill will allow us to make significant improvements to the property’s infrastructure and take this project one step closer to welcoming family and friends back to Willamette Falls,” said Cheryle A. Kennedy, Chairwoman of the Grand Ronde Tribal Council. “We want to thank our Senators for work they’ve done to highlight this important project.”
The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill also includes support in a variety of other areas, including affordable housing and homelessness services. The bill is the basis for negotiations with the House, as Congress works to fund the government for fiscal year 2022.
Senator Merkley is the only Oregon member of Congress from either chamber since Senator Mark Hatfield to serve on the Appropriations Committee, considered to be one of the most powerful on Capitol Hill. He joined the committee in 2013 so that Oregon would have a strong voice in decisions about the investments our nation should be making.
The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon includes over 30 tribes and bands from western Oregon, northern California, and southwest Washington. For more information, visit www.grandronde.org.
Oregon City, OR. There’s an update on the plans for a special Riverwalk along the Willamette Falls in Oregon City. Details were provided by Andrew Mason, the Executive Director of the Willamette Falls Trust. He explained that when the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde purchased the former Blue Heron mill located adjacent to Willamette Falls last August, the news was welcomed by the Willamette Falls Trust which is spearheading the revitalization of the falls including the Willamette Falls Riverwalk project. (Tribe members have taken ceremonial fish at the falls for years.)
The Tribe has since applied for $975,000 in grants to assist with site assessments and clean up, and they are working with local architecture and landscape design firms to create a future vision for their property. Their land purchase and the results of Willamette Falls Legacy Project’s detailed cost estimating also sparked new thinking around what could be accomplished during the Phase One portion of the project.
After purchasing the property, Grand Ronde proposed an alternative approach to Phase One. If feasible, it would include a riverside path to a scenic overlook of the Falls, which differs from the previous plan to route people through the former mill. A focus of the proposal is to increase public safety during any construction happening on Grand Ronde’s property. It would also provide more opportunities to view the river along the way to the Falls overlook. Phase One of the Riverwalk still aims to restore habitat along the riverbank and prepare the site for future phases of construction.
The groundbreaking schedule initially planned for 2020, has shifted to accommodate looking into this opportunity. Project partners—Oregon City, Clackamas County, Metro and State of Oregon—will consider the proposal after the Grand Ronde team completes the design and construction cost estimate.
Andrew Mason explained, “We continue to receive unprecedented community and financial support. While additional funds will be needed to get us to the finish line on this visionary project, we’re grateful for the continued donations and volunteer hours given, including more than $7 million from donors within and outside our community, as well as $20 million from the passage of Metro’s parks and nature bond measure in November.”
Willamette Falls has always been the cornerstone Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde tribal culture. In 2018 the Grand Ronde Tribe received a permit from the Oregon Department of State Lands to construct a fishing platform on state lands at Willamette Falls.
The scaffold allows the Grand Ronde Tribe to safely harvest ceremonial fish at Willamette Falls at the time of year when their ancestors historically took the first fish from the Falls. The Tribe has taken ceremonial fish at the falls for the past three years.
Our mission is to champion and sustain a world-class Willamette Falls experience that offers year-round access to the grandeur of the Falls, historic and cultural interpretation, healthy habitat, public open spaces, and that showcases the hospitality of historic Oregon City.
Willamette Falls Trust is the organization bringing people and communities together to make the new vision for a world-class public space along the Willamette River in Oregon City, Oregon a reality.
We are raising the funds and creating the partnerships to support the first phase of transformation, which includes an overlook at the precipice of the Falls, a connection to Oregon City’s downtown, and opportunities to explore history.
We work closely with Willamette Falls Legacy Project—the public-sector collaboration that kick-started this work—and others, as we steward the collective vision for Willamette Falls. The project has the support of Governor Kate Brown, state legislators, local and regional council members—and has been designed with input from thousands of Oregonians.
Oregon City, OR. Leaders of The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde are poised to purchase two sites along the Willamette River in Oregon City. (Tribe members have taken ceremonial fish at the falls for the past three years.) Cheryle A. Kennedy, the Chairwoman of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, explained, “Recently, the Tribe was blessed with the opportunity to place two properties within our Clackamas County homelands under purchase and sale agreements. The first property is a parcel of land that includes more than a mile of waterfront along the Willamette River. This property will provide us with access to the river as well as open up new opportunities to work with our partners on future projects. The second property, is the 23-acre Blue Heron site at Willamette Falls. That’s the site earmarked for the Willamette Falls Riverwalk project.”
The news was welcomed by the Willamette Falls Trust which is the organization spearheading the revitalization of the falls including the Willamette Falls Riverwalk project.
Trust leaders explained that the development of the Riverwalk can proceed even if there is a land sale. With a construction contractor signed, Riverwalk Phase 1 construction remains scheduled to begin in spring 2020, with completion in spring 2022.
With a fundraising goal of $35 million for Phase One of the Riverwalk, $19.5 already contributed by the Willamette Falls Legacy Project partners, and an additional $7 million donated by individuals, the project has now raised more than 75% of the funds needed to meet the goal. A capital campaign to raise the remaining $8 million is currently underway.
Willamette Falls has always been cornerstone Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde tribal culture. In 2018 the Grand Ronde Tribe received a permit from the Oregon Department of State Lands to construct a fishing platform on state lands at Willamette Falls.
The scaffold allows the Grand Ronde Tribe to safely harvest ceremonial fish at Willamette Falls at the time of year when their ancestors historically took the first fish from the Falls. The Tribe has taken ceremonial fish at the falls for the past three years.
Here’s a Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde video about that project:
The Willamette Falls Legacy Project released a statement which explained its support of the new developments: The Confederated Tribes of the Grande Ronde have been a strong partner on the future first phase of the Riverwalk project, actively participating in the project’s Native American Advisory Board and engaging with programming and interpretation planning as the project has advanced. This project has been strengthened by the participation of the tribes and tribal organizations active on the project – The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, and The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation. We remain committed to working closely with sovereign tribal governments to realize a new vision for Willamette Falls, alongside federal, state, regional and local governments and the local community.
Our mission is to champion and sustain a world-class Willamette Falls experience that offers year-round access to the grandeur of the Falls, historic and cultural interpretation, healthy habitat, public open spaces, and that showcases the hospitality of historic Oregon City.
Willamette Falls Trust is the organization bringing people and communities together to make the new vision for a world-class public space along the Willamette River in Oregon City, Oregon a reality.
We are raising the funds and creating the partnerships to support the first phase of transformation, which includes an overlook at the precipice of the Falls, a connection to Oregon City’s downtown, and opportunities to explore history.
We work closely with Willamette Falls Legacy Project—the public-sector collaboration that kick-started this work—and others, as we steward the collective vision for Willamette Falls. The project has the support of Governor Kate Brown, state legislators, local and regional council members—and has been designed with input from thousands of Oregonians.
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