PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — With several project plans underway, Milwaukie Mayor Lisa Batey is looking to progress two infrastructure projects that she says have been on the drawing board for 20 years.
One of the long-awaited projects includes removal of the Kellogg Dam. Batey says the project is expensive and will require the Oregon Department of Transportation to remove the Highway 99E bridge that sits atop the dam structure.
The dam was built in 1858 for a flour mill, which later shuttered in the 1890s, according to the City of Milwaukie. The city says the Highway 99E bridge on the structure is a “near-total” barrier for coho and steelhead spawning and to floodplain access.
Batey, who was elected in November of 2022, says recent funding has helped bolster the project. The mayor highlighted a $15 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association in 2022 along with funds from federal infrastructure bills.
“There was a lot of interest but not financing, but the recent infrastructure bills from Congress provided an opening,” Batey told KOIN 6 News.
Additionally, Senator Jeff Merkley secured $585,000 in federal funds for the project — launching a study to look into what the channel would look like and how it would support fish passage.
While the funding will help move the project forward, the city says projects like this typically take several years of planning, community engagement and permitting before construction can begin. The city says site studies began in the fall of 2022 with scoping, design and permitting set for late 2023, which is tentatively slated to end in 2025 followed by construction.
Another top project for Milwaukie is the future of Milwaukie Bay Park, which has had redesign plans stalled. Batey says the park was set to be rebuilt in 2020 but plans slowed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Batey says funding for the park has been an issue and has considered leaving the Parks District.
“We have hit some sticking points with the county commissioners about funding for this park. It has had a big planning process, and everybody has agreed on what it should look like. We thought we had an agreed share of the funding, but the project has been stalled for a couple of years now,” Batey said.
“It’s led us to actually think about leaving the Parks District,” the mayor said. “We do feel like the Parks District is underfunded and we’re not getting enough parks out of our Parks District.”