Look for more signage at St. Helens parks, thanks to grant money

Park signage will be enhanced in St. Helens thanks to a $2,500 Oregon Parks Foundation Fund grant from the Oregon Community Foundation.

The money is intended to enhance signage for trails and historical points in the city’s parks and nature preserves.

“The St. Helens Parks and Trails Commission will work with the city’s Parks Division to create a list of improvements for consideration," according to the city. "Parks staff will then prioritize and purchase signage for installation in local parks.”

St. Helens has until February 2025 to complete the project.

The city pointed to Civic Pride Park as a park without signage. The park features benches and a stone path that directs visitors from one end to the other. This park can be accessed via a gravel lot from South 12th Street near Eisenschmidt Pool and a paved upper lot with access from Columbia Boulevard that is shared with nearby Lewis & Clark Elementary School.

Speaking of the origins of Civic Pride Park, the Columbia County Historical Society and Museum Association noted that a reorganized St. Helens Parks Commission began looking for additional park spaces in the mid-1950s.

A Community Achievement Council took on eight park projects around St. Helens, according to the historical society, and the area adjacent to the swimming pool was adopted by three women’s groups: The St. Helens Woman’s Club, Junior Woman’s Club and the Zenith Club.

After presenting the plan to the city council, work began in September 1957.

By the start of 1958, the new park space went by the name Civic Pride Park. The city of St. Helens won the National Community Achievement Competition later that year and received national recognition and a $10,000 prize from Sears.

Oregon Community Foundation has a mission to improve the lives of Oregonians through philanthropy. Partnered with donors and volunteers, OCF works to strengthen communities in Oregon through research, grant making and scholarships. The foundation was founded in 1973.