Roosevelt Park, Washington

Site Information

• Site Coordinator: Mike Fick
• Location: Roosevelt, Washington, River Mile 242
• Property Owner/Managing Agency: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Web site: http://roosevelt.mediaforte.com / Roosevelt Recreation Coalition information

Roosevelt Park is the one of the most popular sailing site in the eastern part of the Columbia Gorge. The shady park setting is on the Washington side of the river just west of the town of Roosevelt, Washington. Drive about 135 miles east of Portland, Oregon, or about 75 miles southwest of Tri-Cities, Washington in the summer and you will find the green park in the midst of a brown desert setting. Or if you are doing a down winder from the Pacific Ocean, the park is located at River Mile 242. The sailing conditions here are varied with fairly flat water on the Washington side and nice eastern Gorge swell on the Oregon side with intermediate chop in between.

The park is owned by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). In recent years volunteer care-taking has played a major role in maintaining the park.

Work Party Notes for This Year

4/21/07- from Mike Fick- It was time again to spritz up the park at Roosevelt. We worked from 9am - Noon then hit the river for a great session of wind. Plans to do extensive raking was unnecessary since two bored windsurfers raked the whole lawn two weeks ago. left us time to tackle some heavy underbrush which that freed up some useful space.

Beach Work and Site History

• 2006 Work- Work on lawn and shoreline < More details.>
• 2005 Work- Lawn and shoreline work
• 2004 Work- Weeded the beachfront, raked lawn, cleared some brush and a small amount of painting.
• 2003 Work- Leaf, twigs, and driftwood removal. Replaced two worn-out steps and touched up painting on the gazebo.
• 2002 Work- Erosion Control barriers (Phase 2), Beach clean and weed removal.
• July 2002- CGWA has formed a Roosevelt Recreation Coalition < More details >
• 2001 Work- Beach clean-up, pole removal, raking, painting and watering the trees.
• 2000 Work-
  • Paint/touch up gazebos, paint the tables
  • General beach cleanup
  • Rake in grass seed in new sprinkler area by swing set
  • Devegetate jetty and swim beach area
  • Weed area by tree windbreak
• 1999 Work- Anchoring railroad ties to the new parking lot, fix the tree sprinklers and install a railing on the stairs.
• 1998 Work- Removal of brush and rock at the swim beach and construction of stairs from the new overflow parking lot.
• 1997 Work- Construction of erosion control barriers (Phase 1) <More details >
• 1997 Planning- In-Lieu Site plans / Larry South's vision
• 1996- First CGWA work part organized. < More details >

Work Party and Site Images

Raking leaves 2003	Roosevelt waterfront 2003	The volunteers = 40 volunteer hours 2003
Extending the wall to the west 2002	The work party crew 2002	Painting the gazebo 2000
Shirley Alderson & Jim Maryott painting picnic tables 2000	CGWA volunteers spreading topsoil in preparation for grass seed 2000	Randy Brich watering newly planted grass seed 2000
Volunteers at play after work party 2000	Preparing for the erosion barrier 1997	CGWA members and others testing the newly installed steps incorporated into the erosion barrier 1997

2006 Work Party

April 29, 2006

• Time: 9am - Noon
• Where: Roosevelt Park, WA Highway 14, between MP 133-134
• Tasks: Work on lawn and shoreline
• Bring: rakes, hoes, shovels, gloves, eye protection, sunscreen, sturdy shoes, strong backs, wheel barrows, and windsurfing gear.
• Coordinator: Mike Fick
• Partner: Army Corps of Engineers

Note from Mike Fick: It's Roosevelt Park cleanup time again. With your help, we'll clean up the lawn and shoreline from 9:00 am 'til noon on Saturday, April 29. Bring rakes, hoes, shovels, gloves, eye protection, sunscreen, sturdy shoes, lunch, strong backs, and your windsurfing gear. Our greatest need is WHEELBARROWS for hauling trash from the lawn to the dumpster. What we'll ALL get out of it is another season in a nice park. Such a deal!

We've also timed this with the town of Roosevelt's spring cleanup (small towns rock!). They've supported the park and all its users in many ways, so maybe some of us can move our efforts up the hill a ways if we get enough manpower. (We're usually a little short, not long, on manning.)

The morning will be partly cloudy and cool enough to work in comfort, then the overcast will clear in time for the perfect 4.2 session we've arranged from 1:15 until 6:50. The PM high will be the season's first 82 degrees, with clear afternoon blue skies giving way to clear black skies after, you know, SUNSET.

Roosevelt Recreation Coalition Formed

July 2002- CGWA has formed a Roosevelt Recreation Coalition to go after funding for improvements to Roosevelt Park for: expanded parking, improved and safe swimming area and boat launch, improved day-use amenities, and new camping facilities to ensure safe access and comfort for all park users. The park has an approximate annual visitation of 120,000 people, and these improvements, while providing a more family friendly site for the fishermen, windsurfers and local townsfolk, can also help to improve the Roosevelt economy.

Coalition members are: US Army Corps of Engineers, Town of Roosevelt, Friends of VFW and CGWA. Thanks go to board members Randy Brich for getting this project started with the conceptual plan, Gay Jervey for the brochure and web information, and Wilton Hart for creating and maintaining the web site. Check out the web site for plans and updates.http://roosevelt.mediaforte.com

Larry South Memorial Sail Park

by Randy Brich

Hundreds of windsurfers flock to Roosevelt on any given windy day throughout the summer tourist season, resulting in crowded and potentially unsafe conditions. Several years ago, during a walk with Corps Park Manager Larry South on a beautiful spring day, he shared with me his vision for Roosevelt Park. Larry saw the potential the Park had and encouraged me to seek a coalition of people interested in seeing the Park modernized. Tragically, Larry died in a car wreck before his vision was realized. In Larry's memory we have developed a conceptual plan for the Park and are in the process of building a coalition of supporters, so that the Larry South Memorial Sail Park becomes a reality for all to use and enjoy for generations to come.

Future Plans for the Park

Written in 1997-The USACE Portland District Office is in the design stage for the In Lieu Treaty Fishing Access Site (ILTFAS) that will be located between the existing park and old ferry landing. Construction of the ILTFAS is anticipated in 1998. Once completed, a fence will delineate the boundaries of the ILTFAS and access will be controlled by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and tribal governments. That means that sometime in the near future (the next year or two) we will probably lose the overflow parking that now exists to the west of the park. Construction of the additional overflow parking, located east of the existing lot, is scheduled to begin in early to mid-September.

As the park amenities improve, a fee structure administered by the USACE (daily fees of $3 and camping fees of $8) will likely be in place soon. Get hot water in the bathrooms. Are there any other suggestions for improvements? We would like to hear from you.

1997 Improvements

Larry South and the USACE continue to do a fine job maintaining the park. Fred Bauer of Coyote Irrigation continues to live at the park and maintain a daily presence. He also does routine maintenance such as painting the bathroom facility.

On June 7th, Randy Brich organized another volunteer work party that was a smashing success. Sixty-five people showed up from all over the Northwest. There was a tremendous amount of work done with all those strong backs. Volunteers:

• dug holes and set dozens of railroad ties north of the parking lot,
• cleared a large patch of brush from the east end of the park,
• picked the existing beach clean of weeds,
• sanded and painted the tables in the gazebos,
• dug a trench and laid down 500 feet of sprinkler pipe west of the parking lot, and
• planted 150 Poplar trees along the pipe.

Tim Montgomery of Montgomery Construction Irrigation Systems, Richland, Washington was again a major contributor to the effort by donating the materials for the sprinkler addition.

Dan Spanner organized the hybrid Poplar tree planting sponsored by CGWA while Forrest Stewart donated the paint for the gazebo tables and chairs. Mercer Ranch, Alderdale, Washington also donated repair material for the leaky 4-inch main irrigation line, which was repaired by Matt and Larry Skrdla while on vacation from Kearney, Nebraska. Fred Noble of CGWA Access also did his normal great job of representing CGWA, providing coffee and donuts from Taco Time, handing out free Clif Bars, holding a raffle, keeping track of who was there, offering money for more park improvement, etc, etc.

Not only was the work party a success, but the pot luck lunch featuring delicious Weber smoked turkey, arranged by Jeff and Maggie Johnson, culminated the organized event. Finally, the wind gods smiled on everyone with a solid 4.0 west wind arriving in mid-afternoon, giving everyone a chance to stretch their tired working muscles on the water.

1996 Improvements

Further major improvements to the park took place in 1996. The USACE, under the leadership of Park Ranger Larry South, was able to get the sewer line fixed, which allowed the bathrooms to be reopened. The concrete-encased PVC sewer line had melted during a grass fire in the late 1980's.

The first Roosevelt Columbia Gorge Windsurfing Association (CGWA) work party was organized by Randy Brich of Richland. Together with Fred Noble and Chuck Langley, windsurfers from the Hood River, The Dalles, and Portland join those from the eastern Gorge to tackle park improvements. CGWA volunteers performed heroic feats above and beyond the call of duty by cleaning out the bathrooms and showers with a power spray unit hauled in from The Dalles. The park now has a functioning restroom facility.

Another significant event was the arrival of Fred Bauer, who lives at the park as a full-time caretaker. Fred works for Coyote Irrigation, and his presence makes a big difference at the park by keeping things maintained on a daily basis.