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Agency overview | |
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Formed | 1955 |
Jurisdiction | Oregon |
Headquarters | Beaverton, Oregon 45°31′7″N122°50′16″W / 45.51861°N 122.83778°W |
Employees | 212 [1] |
Annual budget | $40 million [1] |
Agency executive |
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Website | www.thprd.org |
Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD) is a special parks district located in the eastern part of Washington County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Created in 1955, the district covers all of the city of Beaverton and many of those communities surrounding Beaverton in the Portland metropolitan area. The district covers an area of 50 square miles (130 km2) and serves a population of about 220,000, making it the largest parks district in Oregon. Tualatin Hills operates over 200 facilities totaling 2,100 acres (850 ha), including eight swimming centers. The district has an annual budget of $40 million and is overseen by a five-person board of directors.
Around 1953 some members of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) in Beaverton-area schools started campaigning to create a recreation district, as Beaverton had few parks at the time. [2] This group organized a meeting of PTAs and other civic groups and then decided to create a formal group, the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation Council. [2] [3] They drew up a constitution for the group, elected Elsie Stuhr as the president, and started holding board meetings in July 1953. [2] At the first meeting they adopted the name for the proposed district. [2]
This group then started collecting signatures on a petition in September 1953 [4] in order to create a special parks district, and collected the planned 4,000 signatures by December 1953. [5] They gathered additional signatures in order to compensate for any errors. [2] A total of 4,400 signatures were collected and turned over in February 1954 to the county, which the county had required 27% of property owners to sign the petition. [6]
Then beginning in June 1954 the then county court, now board of commissioners, held meetings to work out what the boundaries would be for the proposed district. [2] [7] School districts in the area that withdrew fully or in part from the proposal included Aloha, McKinley, Groner, Sunset Valley, McKay, Bethany, and Cooper Mountain. [8] The district would be entirely within the boundaries of the then Beaverton Union High School District, which later through consolidation became the Beaverton School District. [7]
Opposition came mainly from farmers within the district who objected to increased taxes. [8] The main arguments in support of the district were that increased recreation activities would decrease juvenile delinquency and that facilities within the area would reduce travel costs. [8] The district planned to construct a centrally located swimming pool as the first priority if the district was created. [8] In March 1955, the proposal was submitted to voters in the planned district, and the formation of the district was approved by a vote of 1,054 to 852, on March 4. [9] At that time the district included all of Garden Home, Beaverton, Bonny Slope, Raleigh Hills, and the Washington County portion of Sylvan. [2] Parts of Cooper Mountain, Hazeldale, Sunset Valley, Cedar Mill, and McKay also were in the new district. [2]
The district became the third parks district in Oregon, with two in Lane County already in existence. [9] Stuhr was elected as one of the three original directors, and was then elected as president at the board's first meeting. [2] [9] She and the other two original directors of the district had been members of the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation Council. [10] When formed, the assessed value of the land in the district totaled $12 million, the population was about 22,000, and the budget for the first year was $65,000. [11] [12] William B. Pond was hired as the district's first superintendent in July 1955, and he started work in the position on September 1 at a salary of $7,500 per year. [13]
Voters in the district approved the issuing of a $10 million bond in November 1974, [14] but voted down an increase in the tax base in May 1978. [15] By 1976 the district had grown to cover nearly 40 square miles (100 km2) and have a total assessed value of property in the district of $1.4 billion, and a budget of almost $990,000. [2] At that time the district had grown to over 30 parks and operated swimming pools at Beaverton High School, at Sunset High School, in Raleigh Hills, and at Somerset West-Rock Creek. [2] The district opened a senior center in 1975 in Beaverton and named it after Elsie Stuhr. [16]
In May 1985, two teenagers set booby traps at the district's Fir Grove Park, imitating traps they had seen in the movie First Blood , the first film in the Rambo series. [17]
The district agreed to transfer nine parks, for a total of 56 acres (23 ha), to neighboring Hillsboro in 2002. [18] These parks were in areas anticipated to be annexed by Hillsboro, as Hillsboro and Beaverton had agreed to a shared boundary to match school district lines, except in areas already annexed into one of those cities. [18] Tualatin Hills received $1.1 million for the transfer of the parks. [18] In 2004, Sports Illustrated named the district as its Sportstown for Oregon during the magazine's 50th anniversary year. [19]
Tualatin Hills had grown to an area of 55 square miles (140 km2) in 2005, with in excess of 200 parks, along with eight swimming pools. [20] At that time the district's budget had grown to $41 million, the district served over 200,000 residents, and employed 203 people. [11] Voters in the district approved a $100 million bond in November 2008 to both improve then existing parks and facilities, as well as purchase new park lands. [21] It was the first bond measure passed in the district since 1996. [20] In June 2009, Cooper Mountain Nature Park opened, with Tualatin Hills operating the Metro-owned park. [22]
Tualatin Hills is the largest independent parks district in Oregon, [19] serving over 220,000 residents. [1] An elected board of directors governs the district, which is headed by a president. [1] The district's board of directors originally had three members, but now consists of five board members. [1] Board members are elected to four-year terms. [23] Board meetings are held monthly. [1] Day-to-day operations of the district are overseen by the general manager (GM), which is Doug Menke who became GM in 2006. [1] The GM oversees a total of 212 employees and an annual budget of $40 million. [1]
Tualatin Hills has over 200 parks or facilities totaling 2,100 acres (850 ha), spread across 50 square miles (130 km2) in eastern Washington County. [1] Included in this are eight aquatic centers or outdoor swimming pools, one senior center, two nature parks, and 60 miles of trails. [1] Major parks and facilities include the Howard M. Terpenning Recreation Complex (often locally called simply the "THPRD complex"), Conestoga Recreation and Aquatic Center, Cooper Mountain Nature Park, Tualatin Hills Nature Park, PCC Rock Creek Recreation Facility, and the Jenkins Estate. [1] Tualatin Hills also operates a variety of athletic fields and facilities, many in-conjunction with the Beaverton School District. [1] These include 189 soccer fields, 111 tennis courts, and 75 basketball courts, among others. [1] A complete list of facilities is below.
Image | Facility | Type |
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| Aloha | Pool (Indoor) |
![]() | Beaverton | Pool (Indoor) |
![]() | Cedar Hills | Recreation Center |
| Conestoga | Pool (Indoor)/Recreation Center |
| Cooper Mountain | Nature Center |
![]() | Elsie Stuhr | Senior Center |
| Garden Home | Recreation Center |
![]() | Harman | Pool (Indoor) |
![]() | Raleigh | Pool (Outdoor/Seasonal) |
| Somerset West | Pool (Outdoor/Seasonal) |
![]() | Sunset | Pool (Indoor) |
![]() | Tualatin Hills Aquatic | Pool (Indoor) |
![]() | Tualatin Hills Athletic | Recreation Center |
| Tualatin Hills Nature | Nature Center |
![]() | Tualatin Hills Tennis | Tennis Center |
Beaverton is a city in Washington County, in the U.S. state of Oregon with a small portion bordering Portland in the Tualatin Valley. The city is among the main cities that make up the Portland metropolitan area. Its population was 97,494 at the 2020 census, making it the second most populous city in the county and the seventh most populous city in Oregon. Beaverton is an economic center for Washington County along with neighboring Hillsboro.
Cedar Hills is a census-designated place and neighborhood in Washington County, Oregon, United States south of U.S. Route 26 and west of Oregon Route 217 and within the Portland metropolitan area. Construction began in 1946.
Cedar Mill is a suburb in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area of the United States; it is a census-designated place and an unincorporated community in Washington County, north of U.S. Route 26 and west of the Willamette Stone. It received its name from a sawmill on Cedar Mill Creek, which cut Western Redcedars that were once the dominant tree in the area. The mill's pond was near the intersection of 119th and Cornell Road, and could still be seen into the 1960s, although the mill itself had ceased operating in 1891. The name was established in 1874 with the opening of a U.S. post office named Cedar Mill. As of the 2010 census, the community population was 14,546.
Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Situated in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city hosts many high-technology companies, such as Intel, locally known as the Silicon Forest. The population was 106,447 at the 2020 census, making Hillsboro the 5th most populous city in Oregon.
The Beaverton School District is a school district in and around Beaverton, Oregon, United States. It serves students throughout Beaverton, Hillsboro, Aloha, and unincorporated neighborhoods of Portland, OR. The Beaverton Elementary School District 48 was established in 1876, with other elementary districts later merged into the district. The elementary district was later merged with the high school district (10J) to create a unified school district. It is the third-largest school district in the state, with an enrollment of 39,180 students as of 2022. For the 2022–2023 school year, the district had a total budget of $622.8 million.
The Tualatin Valley is a farming and suburban region southwest of Portland, Oregon. The valley is formed by the meandering Tualatin River, a tributary of the Willamette River at the northwest corner of the Willamette Valley, east of the Northern Oregon Coast Range. Most of the valley is located within Washington County, separated from Portland by the Tualatin Mountains. Communities in the Tualatin Valley include Banks, Forest Grove, Cornelius, Hillsboro, Aloha, Beaverton, Sherwood, Tigard, and Tualatin.
The Hillsboro School District 1J is a unified school district located in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. The district operates 26 elementary schools, four middle schools, and four high schools. Founded in 1851, the school district covers Hillsboro, Scholls, Reedville, North Plains, West Union, and other area communities. Total enrollment as of the 2019–2020 school year is 20,269 students, the fourth largest in the state.
Clean Water Services is the water resources management utility for more than 600,000 residents in urban Washington County, Oregon and small portions of Multnomah County, Oregon and Clackamas County, Oregon, in the United States. Clean Water Services operates four wastewater treatment facilities, constructs and maintains flood management and water quality projects, and manages flow into the Tualatin River to improve water quality and protect fish habitat. They are headquartered in Hillsboro.
Noble Woods Park is a wooded city park in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Located on approximately 40 acres (160,000 m2) along Rock Creek, the nature park with wetlands and forests is situated between West Baseline Road on the north and Southwest Borwick Road to the south near the Orenco neighborhood. The city acquired the land for the park in 1992 and opened the park in the eastern section of the city in 1998. Noble Woods has two entrances, a picnic area, and hiking trails.
Cornelius Pass Road is an arterial road over Cornelius Pass in the Tualatin Mountains west of Portland, Oregon, United States, also extending several miles to the south. Running north–south, the road stretches between U.S. Route 30 (US 30) on the north and Kinnaman Street, just south of Oregon Route 8 (OR 8), on the south. The road passes through Washington and Multnomah counties, crossing the Tualatin Mountains at Cornelius Pass, 581 feet (177 m) above sea level. TriMet's MAX Light Rail line travels over the road on a bridge. The section between US 30 in Burlington and U.S. Route 26 in Hillsboro is Oregon Route 127 , known in the Oregon state highway system as Cornelius Pass Highway No. 127.
Rood Bridge Park is a municipal park in southeast Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1999, the park encompasses 60 acres (24 ha) on the north bank of the Tualatin River at its confluence with Rock Creek. Rood Bridge is near Hillsboro High School and sits across the river from Meriwether National Golf Course. The park is the city's largest, and contains tennis courts, a meeting facility, trails, a canoe launch, and a rhododendron garden among other features.
The John Quincy Adams and Elizabeth Young House, also known as the John Quincy Adams Young House, is a historic American saltbox house built in 1869 in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in the unincorporated Cedar Mill area of Washington County, Oregon, near Portland, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Hidden Creek Park East, formerly known as 53rd Avenue Community Park, is a municipal park in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Partially opened in 2008, the park covers 43.5 acres (17.6 ha) along northeast 53rd Avenue in the middle of the city. The park includes two multi-purpose sports fields covered with artificial turf along with basketball courts, tennis courts, and a water fountain. Its neighboring park, Hidden Creek Park West, contains an indoor recreation center which include exercise facilities and a gymnasium along with outdoor park items that include children's play equipment, a combined futsal/pickleball court, and walking trails. Plans call for a aquatics center to be built in the near future. Land for both parks were purchased from exercise equipment maker Soloflex beginning in 2001.
Turner Creek Park is a municipal park in Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon. Opened about 1990, the 12.5-acre (51,000 m2) park is located in the middle of the city along Turner Creek near southwest 32nd Avenue between Tualatin Valley Highway and Main Street. The park includes a playground, restrooms, several sports facilities, and natural areas with trails.
Cooper Mountain Nature Park is a 231 acres (93 ha) nature park in the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon. Opened in 2009, the park is owned and operated by Metro, the regional government in the Oregon portion of the metro area. The park is named after Cooper Mountain, the primary geological feature in the area near Beaverton. Maintained by the regional Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District, the natural area has 3.5 miles (5.6 km) of hiking trails. It is one of THPRD's two nature parks, along with the Tualatin Hills Nature Park.
The Belle Ainsworth Jenkins Estate, located near Beaverton, Oregon, United States, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built starting in 1912, the main house on the property was intended as a summer home. The entire 68-acre (28 ha) estate is owned by the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD). The estate has eight buildings, including the main home and a farmhouse built in 1880.
The Shute Park Aquatic & Recreation Center (SHARC) is a multi-pool indoor and outdoor facility located in Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon. Originally opened in 1954 as an outdoor at Shute Park, an indoor recreation center and pool opened in 1981. The indoor recreation center, which includes a weight room, spa, a wading pool, and classroom space, was expanded in 2006 at a cost of $9 million.
Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue (TVF&R) is a special-purpose government fire fighting and emergency services district in the Portland metropolitan area of Oregon. Established in 1989 with a merger between Washington County Fire District 1 and the Tualatin Rural Fire Protection District, it primarily provides fire and emergency medical services in eastern Washington County, but also provides services in neighboring Multnomah, Clackamas, and Yamhill counties. It serves unincorporated areas along with the cities of Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin, West Linn, Wilsonville, and Sherwood, among others. With over 400 firefighters and 27 fire stations, the district is the second largest fire department in the state and has an annual budget of $197 million.
The Tualatin Hills Nature Park is a 222-acre nature park and wildlife preserve in Beaverton, Oregon, owned by the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (THPRD). It is one of THPRD's two nature parks along with Cooper Mountain Nature Park. The park features 5 miles (8 km) of trails, of which 1.5 miles are paved and 3.5 miles unpaved. The park features a diverse environment including several types of both evergreen and deciduous trees as well as creeks, wetlands, ponds, and meadows. Located on 15655 S.W. Millikan Way, at the main entrance to the park, is the Tualatin Hills Nature Center, formerly called the Tualatin Hills Nature Park Interpretive Center. The name was changed in November 2014. Nature supervisor Kristin Atman said that "six words is really a mouthful" and the new name would be more consistent with THPRD's other facilities.
The Howard M. Terpenning Recreation Complex, often called the Terpenning Recreation Complex or simply the THPRD recreation complex, is a 92-acre recreation complex in Beaverton, Oregon. It is owned and operated by the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District (THPRD) and serves as the location of the district's administrative offices. The complex, in addition to the administrative offices, houses an indoor Olympic swimming pool, a tennis center, an athletic center, and several sports fields, as well as a natural area. Approximately 650,000 people visit the complex every year.