Accepting a donation of land — even beautiful land for a beautiful park — isn’t the no-brainer it might seem. There are maintenance costs, legal risks, environmental questions and impacts on nearby neighbors to consider.
On Thursday, Vancouver’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission, a volunteer resident board, will conduct what’s being called “an educational and fact-finding workshop” about two properties that current owners would like to donate to the city of Vancouver.
The workshop is set for 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday in the Vancouver City Council chambers, second floor, 415 W. Sixth St.
The two properties are the Jane Weber Evergreen Arboretum, 7.2 acres on Old Evergreen Highway, and a 0.85-acre parcel of land that could more than double the size of Tanglewood Neighborhood Park, a tiny green space that’s only accessible off a couple of cul-de-sacs, Northeast Sixth Circle and 98th Court.
The Clark College Foundation has been eager for years to donate its arboretum property to the city, and caretaker Kelly Punteney has been living there and organizing volunteers to keep the place up. According to a fact sheet prepared by the city, the property’s current trustees are eager “to achieve the original vision of the Weber family,” which was to preserve the property as a public park or educational facility. The land contains a historic home and touches the Columbia River waterfront. However, it is bisected by BNSF Railway tracks; some neighbors are worried about train-vs.-pedestrian accidents if the place starts to see a lot of public use.
The arboretum property is appraised at approximately $1.8 million.
The Tanglewood property abuts an “undersized” public park of only 0.77 acre, according to a city fact sheet. Proposing to more than double the land — to 1.62 acres — is Hazel Stein, who wants to donate a 0.85-acre section of the land adjoining her home to the park. She also wants to give the city the right of first refusal on the remaining 0.33 acre when and if it comes up for sale. In all, Tanglewood Neighborhood Park could eventually expand to 1.95 acres and allow access from Northeast 97th Avenue.
The proposed near-term donation is valued at approximately $94,000. Another condition of the donor is that the site be named the George and Hazel Stein Neighborhood Park. There’s also the future possibility of acquiring still more land and expanding the park further, according to the city.
This workshop is “strictly informational” and intended to help the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission understand the details of the properties and the pros and cons of taking them on as parks, according to Linda Clifton, assistant to Vancouver’s Parks and Recreation director. Punteney and Stein will both speak, but there won’t be public comment.
Meetings in which the public will be able to comment will be scheduled, Clifton said.
