Old Town Neighborhood Association Priorities for City of Lake Oswego 2026
- Derrith Schmidt
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
The list below are the priorities for the City Council and City Leaders of Lake Oswego, Oregon for 2026 from the Old Town Neighborhood Association Board:
1. Continue prioritizing, supporting, appreciating and funding our excellent police, Community Services Officers and fire departments. Prioritize fast response, proactive presence and collaboration with our neighborhood associations. We especially appreciate their coverage of our neighborhood in the summer when so many visitors are at George Rogers Park.
2. Require Traffic/Engineering to proactively seek out input from police, CSO officers and firefighters and Park Rangers about what they recommend to improve pedestrian, cyclist and OTNA neighborhood safety in and around George Rogers Park. Then use their recommendations. And continue to meet, hone and improve traffic flow and parking, especially during the overcrowding in the summer. And report back to OTNA on decisions and plans.
3. Traffic/Engineering and Parks & Rec: Improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists coming and going to, from and through George Rogers Park from May - September. Proactively prevent a tragedy with traffic flow and no parking signs that we have asked for.
There are many times GRP reaches capacity and the City has no plan to deal with the consequences. Other parks and areas (e.g. Sauvie’s Island) have developed ways to keep park usage reasonable during peak periods. Track and report publicly where visitors are coming from, especially in the busy summer season and use this data to manage traffic and parking.
Highest priority: https://www.oldtownlakeoswego.org/post/no-parking-signs-needed-on-both-sides-of-furnace-street-between-wilbur-and-ladd-for-safety-of-walker
All priorities:
Problems identified by neighborhood:
4. Fully support the Bond on the May ballot to rebuild the South Shore Fire station. We have endorsed this bond and explain why here.
5. Require OTNA to annually evaluate Parks & Rec on being “good neighbors” to Old Town with their programs, construction and events at George Rogers Park so that our neighborhood does not continue to be the overflow parking lot for too many visitors coming to George Rogers Park. Now we feel barely placated. We’d like to feel like respected neighbors.
They should also have the opportunity to evaluate our partnership with them.
6. Continue to prioritize the parks maintenance and ranger team and budget to keep the “beach” and GRP clean and safe. https://www.oldtownlakeoswego.org/post/thank-you-to-rick-josh-for-keeping-george-rogers-park-so-beautiful
Note: The City Parks & Rec seems to struggle with funding to maintain and improve existing park facilities. Maintaining what we have should be a priority versus building something new.
7. Proactively and collaboratively manage the construction of the new riverfront path with OTNA.
8. Maintain and resurface the tennis courts at GRP
9. Pass a ban on noisy and unhealthy gas powered leaf blowers.
10. Continue to fund neighborhood grants to pay for OTNA website, neighborhood gatherings and communication, especially for emergency preparedness.
11. Continue to fund all the wonderful free community-building events and concerts during the summer.
12. Improve the City “customer satisfaction” survey to address what’s not working, new ideas and priorities. Yes, we love living in LO but it can be improved! Focus on proactively learning how to continually improve assets like LORAC, the library, parks, city events.
13. Plan for funding for capital improvements at GRP. Focus on parking, ADA use throughout the park as well as architectural design of the park “entrance” on Ladd Street between the tennis courts and field to make this safe for kids being dropped off/picked up and for people coming to the pancake breakfast, Arts Festival, Car Show and sports events and camps.
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