by Kathy Ursprung

For Kathy Norton, the new and improved Klindt Cove Kiwanis Park will be the fulfillment of a promise to the Klindt family and a place where her own grandkids can picnic and play.

“Members of the Klindt family, who owned the property until the 1960s and lived on the property until the 1980s, had fond memories of visiting the old spring onion farm that was operated on the property” says Kathy Norton, Park Project Manager for the Port. It’s something she thinks about almost every time she visits the park. “They remembered playing by the river and visiting their grandparents in the old farmhouses.”

They weren’t the only ones who wanted to see increased river access in the Port of The Dalles Industrial Area. Eventually, the Port dedicated the one-acre commercial/recreational lot adjacent to the park for the expansion project. Kathy secured a $70,000 Oregon Parks grant to get the project started.

During April, the project has come to life as Crestline Construction excavators leveled the ground, and Jordan Chelsa Landscapers installed shrubbery and other plantings, then hydroseeded the expansion area. The new grass should be ready for activity in about two months.

Soon a new sign on a vintage-style basalt base will mark the entrance and expanded parking, paid for by The Dalles Kiwanis, one of the partners in the project. Last year, new power pedestals were installed to provide power for event needs and possibly food trucks. They were funded with a $16,000 economic development grant from Northern Wasco County PUD.

A picnic shelter, a butterfly garden and play areas in the expansion area are part of future project phases, as are improvements in the cove itself.