Jamison Square needs a little TLC from its warm weather visitors. Neighbors delight in the happy squeals of children and seeing families have a little fun in the sun—but, no one is a fan of the aftermath: trash, dirty diapers (!!!), mutilated plants, plugged fountains and deep trenches dug in the sandy dry side of the park.
According to Portland Parks & Recreation, the tendency to extend the play area from the fountain into the dry side of the park presents both a public safety hazard and maintenance issue. While the sandy dry area is available for use by everyone, PP&R will soon post signs asking that the water not be mixed with the sand decomposed granite. This commonly happens when children tote water from the fountain into the dry area or tote sand decomposed granite from the dry area into the fountain.
Don't litter and please be mindful of the plants
The boardwalk poses a public safety hazard when covered in wet sand decomposed granite
Portland Bouligans, a petanque club that meets in Jamison on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings, implores visitors to be safe and considerate when visiting this or any Portland park. The group takes great pride in Jamison Square, but is often required to clean up after small visitors.
Parents: please help Portland Parks & Recreation keep Jamison Square a clean and safe place not only for your family, but for others as well.
Editor's Note: Jamison's dry side is, indeed, composed of decomposed granite—not sand—as per the comments below.
Wow. Those images speak volumes. I was posting on parkscan about the missing swing in the NW park blocks. All I noticed posted there for Jamison was a request to make the sign bigger about not letting dogs in the water.
Good lord, really? Do you have nothing better to do? I do agree that people should clean up after them selves, but if you consider the amount of people that go there and what little is left over, it's not much, and for the cleaning up maybe you should organize a neighborhood clean up like others do. Im sure that a lot of the business's around there do reap the benefits of all those families being around. Garbage cans being a little more conveniently placed would go a long way's. I pack out what I pack in, but feel sorry that not all people do, as far as the cat litter ares that you are calling sand, I personally would let my children go near that mess, but kids will be kids, let them play, its not like you can't just rake that back into place. If you are so concerned about the square maybe you could just go down there some times and do a little round up. All and all,its a city and one of the cleanest that there is, even with the little ones running around making your life so tough.
@Tanya Glad to hear you're using ParkScan. It's such a great tool. Parks already had someone on this before we could log it.
@prefernotto Glad to hear that you think people should clean up after themselves. We agree wholeheartedly! FYI: The Pearl's neighborhood clean up was on 5/16 and neighborhood children cleaned Jamison Square. It's too bad that their handiwork was so easily undone just a couple days later.
This isn't simply about trash, unfortunately. Portland Parks & Recreation considers the mixing of water + sand as a public safety hazard for your family and others. Not to mention, the sand and debris clog the fountain drain. When that happens, the fountain is turned off for cleaning. I'm pretty sure that most familiesyours includedprefer the fountain in operable condition. Thanks for your comment.
Yet another reason why having children in the Pearl is a bad idea. Who came up with the idea that sprogs are wanted and needed everywhere? Childfree neighborhoods are a great idea and need to be promoted. The parks and coffee shops are nicer, quieter and less chaotic. The parents have everywhere else in the city to choose from; let them move there. Besides, the problem is less from the kids than the incompetent, neglectful parents that seem to be the norm these days.
@michael You're right. This problem isn't the fault of childrenso, how can it be a bad idea to have them here? Personally, I love having children in the neighborhoodbut I appreciate great parents even more. They're out there. Promise.
It's not the kids. It's the parents of the kids. Just like it's not the dog, it's the owner of the dog. Common sense stuff here. Clean up, respect the park and teach your kids about rules.
@nelking Well said! Thanks for chiming in on this.
First off it's not sand, it's crushed granite that Portland Parks & Recreation imported. The crushed granite is the material that makes the east side of the square. I am a member of the group that plays petanque at Jamison Square every Wednesday and Saturday. Our group is open to new members and players and frequently invites passers-by to play. The water and digging ruins the east side of the square that we play on and the weed barrier that's three to four inches below. Second, the kids do not live in the Pearl for the most part. We notice lots of parents parking cars and toting kids over to Jamison Square. We often clean up some of the trash they leave behind, likely because they do not live here and don't have to see their trash later.
Mr. Prefer not to! It is little wonder you hide behind anonymity. Perhaps you are not aware that the "sand" is not actually sand but decomposed granite brought in from Italy as part of the "design" aspect of the square. Secondly, the dry are is a mere 3 to 4 inches deep over a plastic membrane that itself disguised the underground mechanism of the fountain.
Cleaning it and repairing it is not as simple as you think. We do have volunteers that regularly try to clean up! It would however be easier if the parents of the children were a little more considerate. Perhaps you'd care to help once in a while?
@Janus @shaughn Thanks for the clarification on the decomposed granite and background info on the park's design and observations by the Petanque Club.
If everyone who enjoys the park assumes a little personal responsibility in its care, this will become a non-issue. Let's hope for that!