Minto-Brown Island Park Parking Lots #2 and #3 will begin construction starting May 6, 2024

• Tree Removal – Over 30 trees, mostly diseased and non-native birch, were removed in February before nesting season so that proper paving and stormwater drainage can be installed in the appropriate sections of the parking lots. Every tree removed will be replaced in late fall of 2024, when conditions are best, with an appropriate native species within Minto-Brown Island Park.

• Grading - Starting in May, construction crews will begin improvements to parking lot #2 and #3, including new stormwater drainage facilities in the parking lots to decrease the amount of mud that collects around the walking paths of the parking lots.

• Stormwater Facility Upgrades - Natural planting zones collect stormwater after it rains. These areas help mitigate flooding and reduce the volume of water during a storm to prevent pollutants from entering our watershed.

• Paving - Parking lots will be paved with new asphalt before being striped for the public use.
  
  

• Disposal - During the excavation of Minto-Brown’s Parking Lot 3, a larger than anticipated amount of household garbage was discovered beneath the parking lot. The project team will be removing and containing the contaminated soil in preparation for environmental testing and proper disposal. Pre-project testing had identified the presence of this material, and every effort will be made to ensure its safe disposal.

  We ask that visitors to the park, particularly those using the Parking Lot 3 overflow lot, avoid the debris and stay clear of the construction zone. The soil removal is expected to be completed in the next few weeks, pending the results of the environmental tests.”

While both parking lots are now open, landscaping and tree planting activities are still occurring. The project is expected to be complete by November 2024.

Design and Construction $1.54 million

Over 30 trees will be removed as part of the project in the area around the dog park. Most of these trees are European white birch that are in need of removal due to their declining health. These trees are infested with the bronze birch borer – an insect pest, and show viable signs of heat stress from the extreme heat waves in Salem over the past summers.   

The established evergreen trees bordering the parking lot to the east will not be removed.

Three native cottonwood trees will be removed along the entrance to parking lot 3.

Each tree will be replaced with a native tree species in appropriate locations throughout the park.

The logs from the cottonwood trees will be used in the nearby slough to support native turtle habitat. 

Tony Ou
Engineering Associate
tou@cityofsalem.net
503-588-6211