Errol Heights Park opened to the public on December 23, 2023. Despite the date and the dank, grey chill of the day, hundreds showed up to celebrate the “soft opening” hosted by Portland Parks & Recreation.
One of the hundreds was Gail Kiely (right), a board director of the Brentwood-Darlington Neighborhood Association (BDNA). Gail is best known as a progenitor of our annual movie event in Brentwood Park. But few of us knew that Gail also contributed to the vision and early planning for Errol Heights Park.
In the 2005 Master Plan, the visioners wrote that the topography of the future park was ideal for “tranquility and repose”. The park should be a place where people could enjoy themselves in many different ways. The upper area should allow greater use by people. Accessible trails should allow all visitors to view the wildlife and native vegetation down below.
And that’s exactly what we have today. The upper level contains a brilliant lay-out of recreation facilities. A zig-zagging “art way” takes visitors gently down the cliff. At the bottom lie the beaver ponds, trees, springs, and creek of the natural area.
Thank you, Gail, for your contributions of 18 years ago. Errol Heights is spectacular. We also acknowledge the more recent park work of Chelsea Powers and Pamela Hodge, also with the BDNA at the time of their work. Chelsea organized discussion forums (sometimes lively) at the community center. Pamela served on the community advisory committee (which, amongst other achievements, placed a magnificent sculpture at one end of the play field).
Thank you, BDNA people. Thank you, Parks & Rec. Thank you, Environmental Services. We love our fabulous park.
