Hamby Park

Eugene Hamby, the son of Ulin J. Hamby, donated three acres to the city of Hillsboro in 1986.Staff. "Dedication ceremony set as Hillsboro’s Hamby Park", The Oregonian, September 11, 1995, p. B2."Hillsboro gets grant for new city park", The Oregonian, May 12, 1989, p. D2. U. J. Hamby was the longtime owner of the Chevrolet car dealership in Hillsboro and father-in-law of then state legislator Jeannette Hamby. 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. The city chose the name Hamby Park at that time and construction began later that year.

Part of the funding for the park came from development fees charged by the city. Construction continued into July 1990,Bach, Robert. "Field of dreams", The Oregonian, July 9, 1990, Picture Caption: p. B2. and the park opened later in 1990.Potter, Connie "Official see need for more parks", The Oregonian, March 4, 1991, p. B2. Work on the park was not finished when it opened, and additional land was purchased by the city to add to the park. On September 13, 1995, Hillsboro officially dedicated the park in a ceremony featuring mayor Gordon Faber."Almanac", The Oregonian, September 14, 1995, West Zoner p. 7.

The gazebo at the park was refurbished with a new roof in 2004.Olsen, Dana. "Reroofing the gazebo", The Oregonian, December 14, 2004, p. D2. 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.Bermudez, Esmeralda. "You can really clean up in adopt-a-park program", The Oregonian, April 12, 2007, Metro West Neighbors p. 6.Demlow, Kay. [http://blog.oregonlive.com/washingtoncounty/2008/10/hamby_park_gets_mulched_and_ch.html “Hamby Park gets mulched and chopped”], The Oregonian, October 29, 2008. Retrieved on April 24, 2009. 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. 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.Suh, Elizabeth. "Hillsboro parks seek $44.5 million bond", The Oregonian, October 9, 2008, Metro West Neighbors p. 13.

File:Hamby Park lawn.JPG

Hamby Park sits on {{convert|6.7|acre}} and includes both a natural area and a developed park area.[http://www.ci.hillsboro.or.us/ParksRec/ParksFacilities/HambyPark.aspx U.J. Hamby Park.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090521150905/http://www.ci.hillsboro.or.us/ParksRec/ParksFacilities/HambyPark.aspx |date=2009-05-21 }} Hillsboro Parks & Recreation Department. Retrieved on April 25, 2009. The developed portion includes a picnic shelter and tables, a playground, and a basketball court.[http://www.hillchamber.org/images/hillsboromagazine/stepoutside.pdf “Step Outside”], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726151435/http://www.hillchamber.org/images/hillsboromagazine/stepoutside.pdf |date=2011-07-26 }} Hillsboro Magazine (2009). Greater Hillsboro Area Chamber of Commerce. p. 16. The picnic area includes a grass lawn,Smith, Jill. "Memories await at parks near and far", The Oregonian, August 19, 2004, West Zoner p. 5. and the entire park has roughly {{convert|3000|ft}} of paths through the park, with about {{convert|1000|ft}} of those paved.[http://www.ci.hillsboro.or.us/ParksRec/MasterPlanPDFS/AppendixD.pdf Appendix D: Park Descriptions, p. 16.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070404044438/http://www.ci.hillsboro.or.us/ParksRec/MasterPlanPDFS/AppendixD.pdf |date=2007-04-04 }} Parks Master Plan. City of Hillsboro. Retrieved on April 23, 2009. The park also hosts the parks department’s weekly running club,Fitzgibbon, Joe. "Weekly run club helps children hit their stride", The Oregonian, April 19, 2007, Metro West Neighbors p. 11. the Hillsboro Running Club, and is a stop on the annual Tour de Parks bicycle ride in Hillsboro.Suh, Elizabeth. [http://www.oregonlive.com/cycling/index.ssf/2008/08/cycling_in_hillsboro_tour_show.html “Cycling in Hillsboro? Tour shows you how”], The Oregonian, August 28, 2008, Metro West Neighbors p. 9.

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. There are also wetlands, a ravine, and a pond in this section of the park. The area includes several bridges and trails covered with barkdust. 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.Peter, S., & Ewart, S. (2002). Exploring the Tualatin River Basin: A Nature and Recreation Guide. Corvallis, Or: Oregon State University Press. p. 16. Other flora include red huckleberry, Oregon grape, pink star flowers, stinging nettles, and other native plants. Birds at the park are Bewick's wrens, dark-eyed juncos, song sparrows, black-capped chickadees, scrub jays, and ducks among others. Animals include possums, bats, and raccoons.Perkins, J. Mark. [http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/ToolsForLandowners/UrbanConservation/Greenspaces/Documents/Projects/2002/6505.0201_bats.pdf “Bats Within the Urban Growth Boundary of the Portland Metropolitan Area – 2002-2003.”] U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved on April 23, 2009. There is a half-mile trail through the natural section that leads to a slough.

{{Reflist|2}}

{{Commons category|Hamby Park}}

• {{Official website|https://www.hillsboro-oregon.gov/departments/parks-recreation/our-parks/hamby-park/}}
• [http://www.visitwashingtoncountyoregon.com/Facility/Basketball/10018.aspx Hamby Park]{{Dead link|date=January 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} - Washington County Visitor's Association
• [http://www.oregonlive.com/outdoors/index.ssf/et-venue/18262/uj-hamby-park OregonLive]

{{Hillsboro Oregon}}

Category:1990 establishments in Oregon

Category:Parks in Hillsboro, Oregon

Category:Protected areas established in 1990