A look at some of the more significant recent projects and initiatives that have been completed to support the high quality of life that Wilsonville residents and business operators enjoy.
Natural Paradise Installed, Unveiled at Memorial Park
Wilsonville’s first nature play area was unveiled at a public open house event last summer. Located at the edge of lower Memorial Park’s forest, the area features 11 different play components. All are built from natural materials, such as plants, logs, sand, mud, boulders, trees and wooden carvings. Nature play is said to keep children moving, activate their imaginations, and help them connect with the environment. The project was completed by Parks & Recreation staff at a cost of $40,000, and substantially paid for with a $30,000 grant from the Wilsonville-Metro Community Enhancement Program
In the wake of a pandemic, wildfires and a generational ice storm, the City Council established a Council Goal to improve individual emergency preparedness. The “Wilsonville Ready” campaign is a year-long public education campaign that provides new tips and resources each month to encourage individuals and families to become better prepared to endure the immediate aftermath of an emergency, when critical resources may not be available.
City Council Seats New DEI Committee
The City Council established the City’s first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee to advance efforts to address systemic barriers to inclusion. The committee serves as a liaison between the City Council and the broader community, and has begun identifying strategies to yield more equitable outcomes for people often marginalized. Only a month after the committee was formed, it hosted the City’s first Juneteenth Celebration in 2021.
City Launches “Wilsonville Ready” Preparedness Campaign
Momentum Growing for
Boone Bridge Replacement
After an ODOT assessment study of the I-5 Boone Bridge recommended building a new seismically-resilient highway bridge with auxiliary/merge lanes, the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) in March 2021 approved the re-allocation of $3.7 in Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) funds to advance engineering design for the proposed I-5 Boone Bridge and Seismic Improvement Project. This crucial step provides detailed engineering designs and a more definitive price tag on the estimated $450-$550 million project to re-build a wider, seismically-resilient bridge over the Willamette River. Staff and City Council continue to advocate for the project at federal, state and regional levels.
LED Conversion Project Moves to Residential Phase
After Installing more than 900 LED lights along arterial streets in 2021, the City reduced operations and maintenance costs about 76% and lowered energy consumption. This yield additional savings to fund the next phase of the project.
During Phase 2, this summer, more than 800 LED street lights were installed in 10 Wilsonville neighborhoods. LEDs provide additional visibility, brightening streets to make travel safer for drivers and pedestrians while reducing criminal activity. They emit less carbon dioxide, and adhere to federal guidelines aimed at limiting light pollution. Lamps have about four times the lifespan of traditional HPS lamps.
DEI Committee Establishes Annual Juneteenth Event
In June 2021, the newly-established Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee hosted Wilsonville’s first Juneteenth Celebration. About 60 residents gathered on a sunny morning at Town Center Park for a short program featuring speeches and the reading of a “Celebrating Juneteenth” proclamation by Wilsonville Mayor Julie Fitzgerald. A bigger, better event was staged in 2022 that included food, live music and educational resources.
Commission Established to Advance Arts & Culture Programs
The Wilsonville City Council established the Arts, Culture, and Heritage Commission (ACHC), fulfilling a Council goal. The nine-member group advises the City on matters relating to arts, culture and heritage. The group oversees implementation of recommendations outlined in the Arts Culture & Heritage Strategy, and supervises the Community Tourism Matching Grant Program.
Council Adopts Development Incentive Program,
Lures BioTech Company
San Francisco-based Twist Bioscience boosted the local economy with one of the Portland metro area’s largest capital investment projects of 2021. Twist’s investment in Wilsonville includes more than $70 million in building improvements and equipment at the former Xerox campus. The 190,000 square-foot ParkWorks Industry Center is housing a factory to manufacture synthetic DNA.
The company was drawn to Wilsonville by its proximity to an airport, a culture and lifestyle similar to the Bay Area, and nearby two- and four-year colleges than can supply a pipeline of future employees. The Wilsonville Investment Now program (WIN) played a significant role. This new Economic Development program was adopted to help Wilsonville attract high-value industry and higher-wage jobs, and quickly delivered on its promise. WIN establishes Twist’s four-acre site as new urban renewal district and freezes the current property tax revenue. If Twist meets WIN criteria around capital investments and job creation, the company receives a partial property tax rebate based on the value of the improvements.
Regional Water Project Makes Significant Progress
Willamette Water Supply Program (WWSP) crews installed a new segment of water pipeline in conjunction with Garden Acres Rd. improvements. Work continued at/near the Willamette River Water Treatment Plant (WRWTP), where crews pushed an 84-inch diameter, 1.25-inch-thick steel casing pipe through the ground below Arrowhead Creek with a large, hydraulic pipe-ramming hammer. Seismic reinforcement of the Willamette riverbank was completed, as was work to upgrade water pumping capacity, improve seismic resilience of the raw water pump station and enhance back-up power capabilities.
Town Center Streetscape Plan Adopted
Following a year-long community-driven engagement process, the Town Center Streetscape Plan has been adopted. The plan is guiding future public- and private-led development, establishing design guidelines for sidewalks and streets, including items such as street furniture, lighting fixtures, landscaping, possible public art locations, and various pavement design options that will create a distinct look and feel for the Town Center.
SMART, ODOT Collaborate to Relieve I-5 Congestion
Wilsonville’s South Metro Area Regional Transit (SMART) and the Oregon Department of Transportation successfully launched a “Bus on Shoulder” pilot program that allows SMART’s 2X express buses to and from the Tualatin Park & Ride to drive on the shoulder in both directions between Elligsen Rd. and the I-205 interchange when I-5 traffic slows below 35 miles per hour. This innovative partnership is providing a safe, low-cost way to address congestion and create a faster, more reliable commute for SMART passengers.
SMART has continued to innovate, adding a third electric bus to the City’s fleet in 2021 and incorporating new technology, including Wi-Fi on all SMART buses.
Sister City Board Tapped to Strengthen Cultural Exchange
The City Council established the new Kitakata Sister City Advisory Board to direct activities that support and expand the 33-year cultural exchange between Wilsonville and its sister city, Kitakata City, Japan. The nine committee members serve as program ambassadors, advocating for and supporting program activities, maintaining strong relationships with delegates from Kitakata and promoting a positive image of the program locally and abroad. With the Parks & Recreation staff, the Board planned and executed the City’s first Cherry Blossom Week.
New TVF&R Station Opens to Serve Charbonneau
Last fall, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue’s opened Station 54, serving Charbonneau and Wilsonville. The new 2,592-square-foot station provides quick access to Interstate 5. The station’s smaller footprint reflects TVF&R’s dynamic service delivery model, as most service calls are medical in nature.
The station houses a two-person crew operating Rescue 54, a medical transport unit staffed with two firefighter paramedics who can also respond to fires. It features individual sleeping quarters and comfortably accommodates all genders.
City Leads Recovery from Generational 2021 Ice Storm
For three days in February 2021, the region was battered by unforgiving winter storms. The weight of accumulated ice on tree limbs and power lines proved devastating; the storm destroyed or damaged an estimated 4 percent of the City’s tree canopy. Many residents lost electricity, some for a week or longer.
City staff worked around the clock to remove downed trees and debris from 86 lane miles of arterial roadways, cut away limbs that posted safety hazards, performed welfare checks, and delivered warm meals and portable phone chargers to residents without power.
The City’s Public Works staff established a free drop site for tree debris, collecting, grinding and removing more than 24,000 cubic yards of debris.
Staff coordinated a city-wide event that dispatched volunteers to remove and haul tree debris from more than 100 homes.
New protocols were established to assess building damage and expedite permitting for property owners who suffered damage, and to hasten processing of emergency tree removal permits.
The Wilsonville-Metro Community Enhancement Committee allocated funding for a City project that provided free stump grinding for about 50 homeowners.
With Friends of Trees, the City staged three Tree Planting Events to get more than 100 new and replacement street trees planted in residential neighborhoods. Additionally, Parks staff planted 128 trees in City parks and more than 1,200 tree plugs within the Memorial Park forest.
