By Mary Owen
Information about Stayton’s eight city parks is now just a scan away for many cell phone users.
“If you have a smart phone with a barcode scanner, you can scan the code and it gives you detailed information on each park,” said Jennifer Russell, administrative assistant for the city of Stayton.
Russell said the Qwerty code idea came from the S+S Connection, a Ford Family leadership group that built the disc golf courses in Stayton and Sublimity.
“I happened to be a part of the group, and we thought it would be a fun way to advertise what the parks have available,” she said.
With warmer weather arriving, Dennis Vietzke, vice-chair of the Parks Board, expects Stayton’s 98.2-acre park system to fill with people.
“The parks are pretty busy during the summer months, with concerts, car shows, weddings and other events,” said Vietzke, part of the six-member volunteer board that also includes chair Griffin Green, Dan Brummer, Pam Pugsley, Richard Lewis and Cherie Douglas. One position remains open on the board, which meets the first Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. in the Stayton Public Library meeting room.
“We welcome people to join us,” Vietzke said.
Vietzke said the city is always looking for volunteers to mow park lawns and help with other tasks. He helps mow at Pioneer Park, and is always excited to see the new disc golf course in use there.
“I was really surprised when the committee came to our board meeting and wanted our permission to put up the disc golf,” he said. “I had never heard of it before. It was a learning experience.”
Pioneer Park also has two professional-size horseshoe pits that people avail themselves of, he said.
“We just put in a horseshoe pit at Santiam Park,” Vietzke said. “It’s a nice pit. I love horseshoes, so I’ve played on them all.”
Pits are also available at Quail Run, he said.
Stayton’s 98.2-acre park system includes:
Pioneer – A 9.4-acre community park at 7th and Marion streets. This most heavily used of all city parks adjoins Wilderness Park. The park is used for weddings, Santiam SummerFest activities, and other events. Amenities include a playground, picnic shelter, picnic tables, basketball court, two horseshoe pits, disc golf course and restrooms.
Wilderness –Trails meander through a 22.7-acre natural setting, a haven for local wildlife, accessed from the Jordan Bridge to the Santiam diversion. A pond and the privacy of the park make it a nice place to “get back to nature and relax,” Parsons said. No restrooms.
Riverfront –The largest of the parks system, it boasts 52.2 acres of natural beauty. Some tree and bank restoration has been done. Plans are in the works to construct a bridge from Florence Street from the Community Garden to the park that will allow visitors better access from downtown, Parsons said. Entrance is just south of the Stayton Water Plant, and is open to foot traffic only. A chemical toilet is onsite at the entrance.
Northslope – A small 1.1-acre community park off of Fern Ridge Road at the east end of Dawn Drive in northeast Stayton. Amenities include a play structure, barbecue pit, picnic tables and a basketball court. No restrooms. Future projects include re-establishing a volleyball court.
Santiam – Stayton’s newest park with 2.3 acres is at the cross streets of
Third Avenue and Wildflower Drive. The park includes access to a wetland/riparian area for wildlife viewing, horseshoe pits, playground equipment with poured-in-place surfacing, looped concrete pathways, new trees and lawns. There are restroom facilities.
Quail Run – Located in the northwestern portion of Stayton, between Eagle Street and Meadowlark Drive, Quail run has 2 acres. Amenities include a half basketball court, horseshoe pits, playground equipment, benches, paved path and baseball backstop. Chemical toilets open during the summer.
Westown – Located in West Stayton on Westpark Court, the 1-acre park has a half basketball court, two picnic tables, and two play areas for young and older children. No restrooms.
Community Center – Located along the Salem Ditch off of First Avenue, this 7.5-acre park contains the Community Center building, the Stayton Family Memorial Pool, three tennis courts, horseshoe pits, a playground, library, parking, a picnic area, and an open recreation field.
The city also has a Community Garden at Fourth and Florence. Four plots are available at $15 per season, including water.
“All the free water you can use,” Vietzke said. “For $15 for the season, that’s pretty good.”
All Stayton parks, the Community Center and Jordan Bridge are available for rental, which allows for exclusive use of an entire park. Cost is $500 with a refundable $500 deposit. Jordan Bridge can be reserved for three hours for $100; each additional hour is $20. Electricity is available at the bridge with a $25 key deposit at time of rental. All applications are available on the city website.
“You can rent everything but the playground, because that’s open to the public,” Vietzke said. “And all our parks are non-smoking.”
Park visitors who bring their dogs must keep them on a leash and pick up after them. Doggie litter bags are available in all parks.
For information or for park rental, call the Public Works department at 503-769-2919 or contact Russell at jrussell@ci.stayton.or.us.
