Long post but please share and help if you can… Newberg Oregon residents are facing a serious attempt to takeover donated land and change the legacy of a wonderful woman... 👇🏻👇🏻
Bob & Crystal Rilee Park (325 acres) was donated to the city for a fraction of what it was worth. The city paid $280,000 for her land when it was worth $6 million dollars. The property was slated to be a working agricultural landscape and the home to historic equestrian trails.
District acquisition included knowledge that the family and foundation were promised the property would be used for agricultural education and trails would be used for hiking and horseback riding as it had been their historic use.
Crystal envisioned a place where future generations could experience its agricultural heritage, equestrian traditions, natural beauty, and peaceful open space.
Now that is all changing due to mountain bikers trying to overtake the park. What doesn’t mix on trails?! Horses/dogs/walkers and mountain bikers… These trails include steep grades, blind corners, and limited sight distances, creating concerns about safety/conflicts between bicycles, horses, hikers, families, and pets.
Residents have signed petitions in the thousands but the board still does not seem to care. And despite all the testimony from family, the hundreds of emails, and 6 months of testimony against it they still are pushing to allow mountain bikes at the park.
The debate surrounding Bob & Crystal Rilee Park ultimately became about something much larger than one park or one recreation activity.
It raised a simple but important question:
If a family donates a remarkable piece of land to the public with the expectation that it will remain true to its historic purpose, should future governing boards be able to fundamentally change that purpose?
Families who choose to leave a lasting gift to the community should know that their vision will not simply depend on who happens to be serving on the CPRD Board decades from now.
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