A major park near downtown Eugene is getting a final polish before reopening Friday after a yearlong closure.
In March 2022, the city closed most of Washington Jefferson Park to deal with issues that had accumulated while it served as an emergency homeless shelter during the pandemic. The city also used the closure to make some long-term improvements.
The city found that tiny pieces of trash, including needles, had been packed into the park soil at depths of up to five inches. A major part of the restoration has been removing and replacing that contaminated topsoil and reseeding it with turfgrass.
Other changes include a new walkway connecting 4th Ave. between Washington and Jefferson streets and placing more lighting and garbage cans.
The park will remain closed between 5th and 6th Streets while the city considers turning that area into a dog park.
The city said the renovation cost $1.2 million, with most of the funding coming from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and funding from the State of Oregon meant to help cities support the unhoused population.
The reopening lines up with the annual volunteer clean-up of Washington Jefferson skatepark, which remained open while the rest of the park was closed. Volunteers repainted walls, mowed the surrounding lawns, and power washed the basketball courts and skate ramps on Thursday.
The park will, in many ways, return to a pre-pandemic normal: The city emphasized in a press release that like every city park, camping is prohibited and the park is closed overnight. Money from a recently-approved parks levy will pay for Park Resource Officers from the Eugene Police Department to patrol the park and enforce the rules.
