The Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its third meeting of the year Sep. 18-19 in Condon. On Sep. 18, Commissioners will participate in a grand opening celebration of Cottonwood Canyon State Park’s new cabins and Experience Center, a classroom for outdoor education and event space. The $800,000 Experience Center was largely built thanks to donors and fundraising by the private nonprofit Oregon State Parks Foundation (oregonstateparksfoundation.org), which contributed $600,000 in cash and donated products. A public event, from 1 – 4 pm, will include a ribbon cutting, facilities tour and presentations. On Sep. 19, Commissioners will convene an executive session at 8:15 a.m. at the Condon Veterans Memorial Hall, 128 S. Main St., to discuss real estate and legal issues. Executive sessions are closed to the public. A public business meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the same location. The agenda includes requests to: Approve proposed rule changes for two group overnight facilities at Silver Falls State Park known as the Ranches. The rules would remove the reservation and rate requirements currently set in administrative rule and eliminate checks as acceptable payment for reservations. The department plans to negotiate with the concessionaire currently operating the Silver Falls Lodge and Conference Center to partner on management of the Ranches. Approve a proposed rule that implements a flexible rate range for state park campsites. Under the rule, OPRD could charge slightly more at high-demand campgrounds and less at less popular campgrounds. Award four construction contracts totaling $2.5 million for park upgrades, including $600,000 for renovating the North Falls Visitor Center at Silver Falls State Park. Approve $5.8 million in grants to cities, counties and other jurisdictions for large parks and recreation projects as part of the lottery-funded Local Government Grant Program. The draft agenda and meeting packet are listed at http://bit.ly/sept2018agenda. People who plan to present oral testimony are asked to provide 15 copies of their statement to Commission Assistant Denise Warburton denise.warburton@oregon.gov. Those needing special accommodations to attend should also contact Warburton by email, or call 503-986-0719, at least three days in advance. The Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission (www.oregon.gov/oprd/Pages/commission.aspx) promotes outdoor recreation and heritage by establishing policies, adopting rules, and setting the budget for the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. The seven members are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Oregon Senate. They serve four-year terms and meet several times a year at locations across the state.
