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Home My WebLink AboutMinutes - 01/12/2026City of Tigard Park & Recreation Advisory Board Minutes THE PURPOSE OF THE PARK AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD IS TO ADVISE AND ADVOCATE FOR PARK AND RECREATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR A GROWING TIGARD. PARK & RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES – JANUARY 12, 2026 DRAFT City of Tigard | 13125 SW Hall Blvd., Tigard, OR 97223 | 503-639-4171 | www.tigard-or.gov | Page 1 of 4 MEETING DATE: January 12, 2026, 6:00 PM MEETING LOCATION: In-Person at Tigard Public Works (8777 SW Burnham St.) Virtual via MS Teams Comments/questions should be sent prior to the meeting to Rick Gruen, staff liaison: rickg@tigard-or.gov 1. Call to Order and Roll Call The meeting was called to order at 5:58 PM by Chair Ellen Brown. Roll Call Members Present: Ellen Brown (Chair), Joleine Sigler, Ken Barker, Skip Haak, Lori Rasor, James Essenberg, Denise Stephens Alternates Present: Candi Cornils, Veronica Johnson Council Liaison Present: Councilor Faraz Ghoddusi Staff Present: Mayor Yi-Kang Hu, Rick Gruen (Parks, Recreation, and Green Infrastructure Manager), Greg Stout (Parks Supervisor), Kaitlyn Leaf (Recreation Coordinator), Melissa Heine (Recreation Administrative Specialist II/Recorder), Lucy Jones (Natural Resources Coordinator) Others Present: Chris Garstek 2. Approval of Minutes The minutes from December 08, 2025, were reviewed. Motion: A motion was made by Joleine Sigler to approve the minutes. Denise Stephens seconded. Vote: Motion carried unanimously. 3. Comments from the Audience No public comments 4. PRAB Member Introductions PRAB Chair welcomed new member, Lori Rasor, to the Park and Recreation Advisory Board and shared introductions of PRAB members and city staff. 5. Mayor Meet and Greet Mayor Hu, City of Tigard Mayor, introduced himself to the Park and Recreation Advisory Board and discussed the following: • Reminded members to complete the experience survey by January 13 to help City Council PARK & RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES – JANUARY 12, 2026 DRAFT City of Tigard | 13125 SW Hall Blvd., Tigard, OR 97223 | 503-639-4171 | www.tigard-or.gov | Page 2 of 4 improve board productivity. • The city is planning a new Public Works and Police facility, with a bond measure likely appearing on the May 2026 ballot. • The Mayor requested that PRAB provide specific advice on funding mechanisms for future parks and trails, acknowledging the lean budget climate. Chair Ellen Brown highlighted the history of the PRAB, noting improvements in onboarding and commending staff for maintaining high-quality programs despite being in the lowest tier for staffing levels nationally. 6. PRAB Officer Elections for 2026 Chair: Ellen Brown was nominated and re-elected unanimously. Vice Chair: Joleine Sigler was nominated and elected unanimously. 7. Heritage Tree Program Lucy Jones (Natural Resource Coordinator) presented applications for two trees located on the historic Willowbrook Farm property (corner of Durham and Pacific Hwy), which was sold to the Bishop family in 1905: • Tulip Tree: 90 feet tall, healthy, and exceptionally large for the area. • Deodar Cedar: 70 feet tall, healthy specimen. Due to the long-term financial and maintenance obligations of the Heritage Tree designation, staff recommended designating both as Significant Trees. This grants public recognition without obligation of ongoing city maintenance costs. The board moved and approved the designation of both trees as Significant Trees. 8. Public Works Department Community Update Public Works Community Engagement Coordinator, Jessica Love, provided information on upcoming Public Works programs and activities of interest to the Park and Recreation Advisory Board. • Tigard Works: A crash course and tour of Public Works will be held February 4th at 5:30 PM. • The Tigard Public Library will close February 1 – April 30 for HVAC maintenance and installation. Limited services will be available at City Hall, Fridays through Sundays. • A 3D layout of the new Police/Public Works building is on display at the library through January. Council will discuss bond language on January 20th with a referral date on February 17th. PARK & RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES – JANUARY 12, 2026 DRAFT City of Tigard | 13125 SW Hall Blvd., Tigard, OR 97223 | 503-639-4171 | www.tigard-or.gov | Page 3 of 4 9. Parks and Recreation Manager Update Parks, Recreation and Green Infrastructure Manager, Rick Gruen, provided updates on park related policies, programs, and projects of interest. • Oregon Parks and Rec sent grant agreements for the Accessible Dock Project (Local Government and Recreation Trails grants). Notice to proceed is expected within a week following signatures. • Steve Street Park: Currently in the land-use phase. A Comprehensive Plan amendment is required, with a Planning Commission review scheduled shortly followed by City Council consideration of adoption. • Budget & Council Meeting: The joint PRAB/City Council meeting has been moved to March 17, 2026, and will include a discussion on parks funding and an update on the successful first year accomplishments of the Park Ranger program. • The next budget cycle will be discussed at the February PRAB meeting. 10. Recreation Update Update, overview, and future Recreation offerings from Kaitlyn Leaf, Recreation Program Coordinator. • The annual Snowman Scavenger Hunt had over 100 participants. Upcoming programs include Baby and Me, Kids Night Out (fully booked through March), and Wiggle and Giggle for toddlers. • Staff are preparing 200 kits for the February Grab and Go Kit program to be distributed at Fanno Creek House and to local nonprofits. • The Tigard Egg Hunt is scheduled for April 4, 2026. • Currently recruiting sponsors and vendors for summer events. • Recruitment for On-Call Recreation Aides for spring and summer is opening this week. 11. Parks Update Projects and operations update from Parks Supervisor, Greg Stout. • A new electronic, remote-controlled scoreboard was donated for Baseball Field 2 at Cook Family Park; installation is planned for mid-April. • Tree recycling is complete at Lasich and nearly finished at Cook Family Park, providing chips for trails. • The Parks division is now fully staffed following a new hire last week. • The Blueberry Hill pickleball courts are bubbling and peeling again after an August resurface; engineering is addressing this with the developer for a repair solution. • Community Garden policy was amended to allow limited battery-powered equipment. • Lasich Property: Public access via Lasich Lane is legally restricted (private easement), and the current service road is unsafe. o The city would like to pursue the possibility of an easement from the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge to create a safe, signalized 4-way intersection at Beef Bend and Roy Rogers Roads. PARK & RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES – JANUARY 12, 2026 DRAFT City of Tigard | 13125 SW Hall Blvd., Tigard, OR 97223 | 503-639-4171 | www.tigard-or.gov | Page 4 of 4 o Board member Ken Barker noted he has contacts with Representative Salinas and Metro Councilor Snyder to assist with federal and regional coordination for such an easement to make the Lasich property publicly accessible. 12. Advocacy Items Parking lot from prior PRAB meetings for further discussion: • Park policy/rules - trail safety; drone use • Park policy - maintaining the integrity and existing footprint of parks; protect park assets from being monetized to outside interest/uses • Support for Park and Trail System funding strategy • Support for Park Ranger position Request made to add the following items: • Ken Barker proposed a group, or fundraising task force, to brainstorm creative funding ideas in response to the Mayor’s request. • Trail Use (E-Bikes to ensure future rules regarding electric and high-speed bikes are informed and balanced. • The board noted that a 5-year review of the 10-year Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan is included in next year’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). 13. Non-Agenda Items No additional non-agenda items. 14. Adjourn Motion: A motion was made by Ken Barker to adjourn the meeting. Denise Stephens seconded. Time: The meeting adjourned at 7:07 PM. Upcoming Meetings: • PRAB Meeting: Monday, February 09, 6:00 PM, Tigard Public Works Auditorium • City Council/PRAB Annual Meeting – Tuesday, March 17, 2026 Submitted by Melissa Heine, Recorder Signature: Attestation by Ellen Brown, Chair Signature: Approval Date: Wet signature minutes on file with PRAB Recorder. File location: I:\PW\1-PUBLIC WORKS ADMIN\Meetings (PRAB & IWB)\PRAB\2026\1-Jan\Minutes\PRAB Minutes 260112- DRAFT.docx