On Dec. 8, 2011, Metro Council approved funding to construct an 18-hole disc golf course at Metro’s Blue Lake Regional Park. The course design will be the first gold-level disc golf course in the Portland metropolitan area.

One of my roles as a Metro Councilor is to serve as a liaison to the Intertwine Alliance. What is the Intertwine, anyway?

Metro’s voter-approved Natural Areas Program started the fall with a flurry of land acquisitions, from the west side of the region to the east side. New natural areas build on Metro’s work in several areas that have been focal points of the 2006 natural areas bond measure.

Metro and Friends of Glendoveer are seeking volunteers to help prepare the Glendoveer Fitness Trail for wet weather. Metro is working closely with local groups after community feedback clearly showed East Portland's appreciation for the Glendoveer Golf Course and Fitness Trail, and a desire for more maintenance at the facility.

More than 250 community members attended an open house Aug. 1 at Metro's Glendoveer Golf Course and Fitness Trail to express their concerns about proposed changes to the property. Councilors Barbara Roberts and Shirley Craddick were on hand to discuss the facility assessment and business plan project and hear public feedback.

Several ideas are on the table for future improvements and new opportunities at Glendoveer and they all include a golf course and the fitness trail. Come to a community open house from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 1 and learn about the options being considered.

The Glendoveer Golf Course and Fitness Trail is one of the most treasured and used community facilities in outer Northeast Portland. A facility assessment and business plan project is underway to figure out what needs to be done to prepare for a fair and competitive process to develop and award a new contract to operate the facility starting in 2013.

Metro Councilor Shirley Craddick was featured in a KOIN-TV Studio 6 Spotlight story July 14. Reporter Heidi Protto also spoke with Metro Parks and Visitor Services Manager Dan Kromer about Metro’s Blue Lake Regional Park, pointing out the variety of affordable activities to share with your family.

Learn more about the celebration of the Gresham Fairview Trail.

Though Blue Lake Park is popular for its range of activities, it’s still peaceful. Picnicking is prime here, with many group sites available for reservation on a first-come, first-served basis. Family-friendly fun – ranging from archery to trout angling to softball – offers residents in the Portland metropolitan area inexpensive and safe access to the outdoors, where kids can be active and parents can be lazy (if they want), without having to drive very far. It’s just 20 minutes from downtown Portland. As the summer season gets underway, Blue Lake is adding more power to its park punch with several new additions.