Hamby Park

U. J. Hamby Park is a nearly seven acre municipal park in northwest Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1990, the park includes nature trails along a small creek as well as a basketball court and grass lawn. The park is named after the longtime Chevrolet dealership owner, whose family donated the land to the city in 1986. The natural portion of the park includes wetlands and woodlands.

Hamby Park
Gazebo in the park
TypePublic, city
LocationHillsboro, Oregon
United States
Coordinates45°32′1″N 122°58′59″W[1]
Area6.7 acres (27,000 m2)
Created1990
Operated byHillsboro Parks & Recreation Department
Statusopen
WebsiteU.J. Hamby Park

History

Eugene Hamby, the son of Ulin J. Hamby, donated three acres to the city of Hillsboro in 1986.[2][3] U. J. Hamby was the longtime owner of the Chevrolet car dealership in Hillsboro and father-in-law of then state legislator Jeannette Hamby.[2] In May 1989, the federal government gave Hillsboro’s parks department $26,975 to develop a park on the land along Northeast Jackson School Road.[3] The city chose the name Hamby Park at that time and construction began later that year.[3]

Part of the funding for the park came from development fees charged by the city.[3] Construction continued into July 1990,[4] and the park opened later in 1990.[5] Work on the park was not finished when it opened,[5] and additional land was purchased by the city to add to the park.[2] On September 13, 1995, Hillsboro officially dedicated the park in a ceremony featuring mayor Gordon Faber.[2][6]

The gazebo at the park was refurbished with a new roof in 2004.[7] In 2007, the park was the first park adopted in the city’s adopt-a-park program, with adoption coming from students of the Miller Education Center.[8][9] Students from the school and volunteers from SOLV worked to remove invasive plant species and spread new barkdust at the park during a work party in October 2008.[9] The park was one of several parks slated for improvements from a bond put to a vote by the city in November 2008, but the levy failed.[10]

Amenities
Lawn area at the park

Hamby Park sits on 6.7 acres (2.7 ha) and includes both a natural area and a developed park area.[11] The developed portion includes a picnic shelter and tables, a playground, and a basketball court.[12] The picnic area includes a grass lawn,[13] and the entire park has roughly 3,000 feet (910 m) of paths through the park, with about 1,000 feet (300 m) of those paved.[14] The park also hosts the parks department’s weekly running club,[15] the Hillsboro Running Club, and is a stop on the annual Tour de Parks bicycle ride in Hillsboro.[16]

The natural area is to the west of the developed portion and includes a wooded area traversed by a small creek, a tributary of McKay Creek.[17] There are also wetlands, a ravine, and a pond in this section of the park.[17] The area includes several bridges and trails covered with barkdust.[13] Trees in the park include lodgepole pines, blue spruce, Pacific yews, Pacific dogwoods, western red cedars, old-growth Douglas-fir, oak, vine maple, and sequoia trees.[13][17] Other flora include red huckleberry, Oregon grape, pink star flowers, stinging nettles, and other native plants.[17] Birds at the park are Bewick's wrens, dark-eyed juncos, song sparrows, black-capped chickadees, scrub jays, and ducks among others.[17] Animals include possums, bats, and raccoons.[17][18] There is a half-mile trail through the natural section that leads to a slough.[17]

References
  1. "U J Hamby Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. 2004-05-26. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
  2. Staff. "Dedication ceremony set as Hillsboro’s Hamby Park", The Oregonian, September 11, 1995, p. B2.
  3. "Hillsboro gets grant for new city park", The Oregonian, May 12, 1989, p. D2.
  4. Bach, Robert. "Field of dreams", The Oregonian, July 9, 1990, Picture Caption: p. B2.
  5. Potter, Connie "Official see need for more parks", The Oregonian, March 4, 1991, p. B2.
  6. "Almanac", The Oregonian, September 14, 1995, West Zoner p. 7.
  7. Olsen, Dana. "Reroofing the gazebo", The Oregonian, December 14, 2004, p. D2.
  8. Bermudez, Esmeralda. "You can really clean up in adopt-a-park program", The Oregonian, April 12, 2007, Metro West Neighbors p. 6.
  9. Demlow, Kay. “Hamby Park gets mulched and chopped”, The Oregonian, October 29, 2008. Retrieved on April 24, 2009.
  10. Suh, Elizabeth. "Hillsboro parks seek $44.5 million bond", The Oregonian, October 9, 2008, Metro West Neighbors p. 13.
  11. U.J. Hamby Park. Archived 2009-05-21 at the Wayback Machine Hillsboro Parks & Recreation Department. Retrieved on April 25, 2009.
  12. “Step Outside”, Archived 2011-07-26 at the Wayback Machine Hillsboro Magazine (2009). Greater Hillsboro Area Chamber of Commerce. p. 16.
  13. Smith, Jill. "Memories await at parks near and far", The Oregonian, August 19, 2004, West Zoner p. 5.
  14. Appendix D: Park Descriptions, p. 16. Archived 2007-04-04 at the Wayback Machine Parks Master Plan. City of Hillsboro. Retrieved on April 23, 2009.
  15. Fitzgibbon, Joe. "Weekly run club helps children hit their stride", The Oregonian, April 19, 2007, Metro West Neighbors p. 11.
  16. Suh, Elizabeth. “Cycling in Hillsboro? Tour shows you how”, The Oregonian, August 28, 2008, Metro West Neighbors p. 9.
  17. Peter, S., & Ewart, S. (2002). Exploring the Tualatin River Basin: A Nature and Recreation Guide. Corvallis, Or: Oregon State University Press. p. 16.
  18. Perkins, J. Mark. “Bats Within the Urban Growth Boundary of the Portland Metropolitan Area – 2002-2003.” U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved on April 23, 2009.
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