Please make sure your voice is heard. This is a key listening session so the City Council can make a decision on how to proceed. Attending in person, testifying live online, or written comments are all available (details below).
We have arranged with the Mayor to expedite a few youth comments so families and children can plan on leaving between 7:45 & 8pm. The Council has scheduled the Oppenlander discussion to be over by 8:30.
Friends of Oppenlander will be recommending a second bond measure to preserve Oppenlander (see below). This will require expedited City decision making and action to meet the May election timelines. We need your support!
MEETING DETAILS
Tuesday February 18th … 7 – 8:30pm at City Hall (22500 Salamo Rd betweeen Safeway and Starbucks).
The meeting starts at 5:30, but the Oppenlander agenda item does not start until 7pm.
• 7:00 pm City & Staff comments and discussion
• 7:35 Public comments
• 8:30 Mayor’s closing remarks
Detailed Agenda can be seen here.
4 WAYS TO PARTICIPATE
• Attend in person – please bring your children (we’ll excuse them by 7:45ish). There is a basic security screen so arrive 10 minutes early
* Send an email to the City Council by noon Tuesday if you want to assure Council members see it before the meeting, but you may send through Wednesday if you wish to weigh in on what you hear tomorrow night.
* Attend virtually … load this page anytime after 5:30pm to observe the meting
* Make a comment virtually – register here by 4pm if you wish to make virtual comments
SECOND BOND MEASURE RECOMMENDATION
The meeting is your opportunity to provide insight, make recommendation, propose creative alternatives. Friends of Oppenlander had been indicating they were prepared to raise funds to fill the gap between the existing $3.5M bond measure and an anticipated sales price much less than the full market value (developer) price of $7.875M the School District recently said was non-negotiable and needed to be funded by May, 2025.
The FOO team met and decided that the amount of money needed was too high, and the timing too short to guarantee success. As such, the team has decided to throw our full support behind the Second Bond measure alternative. This second bond measure of $4.875M would be added to the first bond measure to preserve Oppenlander as a park for all West Linn residents.
The cost of BOTH bonds would be approx $48/yr per household.
For those of who just pulled out your calculators, the first bond had an estimated cost of approx $20/yr per household, with the second bond at approx. $28/yr. estimated at 5 cents per thousand with an average WL home assessed at $400k. The First bond would provide $3.5M, but per the terms of the first bond, some funds would be set aside for basic improvements, including a restroom, so we estimate $3M going toward the purchase. That $3M plus the new $4.875M bond would net $7.875M for the purchase.
Please join the discussion tomorrow to see our brief presentation, hear from your neighbors, and contribute your thought.
Best regards,
The Friends of Oppenlander team
WE CAN STILL SAVE OPPENLANDER WITH YOUR HELP! Preserve and extend Oppenlander’s 40+ year legacy of community park and youth development from being developed and adding up to resulting in up to 90 additional families in need of recreational resources, and the loss of a park for the entire community—forever!