Schouten for County Commission

Re-Elect Dick Schouten to the County Commission 

Dick has served on the board of commissioners for Washington County since 2000.  In that time, he has been a tireless advocate for improvements in the bicycle and pedestrian facilities throughout the county and in particular, District 1, which he serves.

District 1 covers most of Beaverton, Cooper Mountain, Aloha and Reedville.

I've known Dick since our days together serving the City of Beaverton on its Bicycle Advisory Committee and Tualatin Hills Parks & Recreation District Trails Advisory Master Planning Committee in the 1990s.

Dick has worked hard to improve pedestrian and road safety, including successfully lobbying for a recently awarded Community Development Block Grant to close key sidewalk gaps along SW 173rd near Aloha-Huber K-8 School and the at Kinnaman and Farmington Roads.

His work to create the County’s Minor Betterment Program and to expand the list of services eligible for the County's Urban Road Maintenance District, has increased the County’s ability to create "safety improvements," such as new sidewalks, bike lanes and paved shoulders.

Dick has been an outstanding leader in protecting and expanding parks and Greenspaces in our part of the County.  Including the public acquisition of over 160 acres of park and green space land inside Washington County's Urban Growth Boundary, including Roy Dancer Park near SW Murray and Allen in Beaverton (3 acres);  the Dent Property portion of Hart-Lowami Woods Park (10 acres) on SW Hart Road also in Beaverton;  Tualatin Hills Nature Park at South Woods (22 acres);  the Sunrise Property on Bull Mt.  (20 acres);  the Summer Creek Property in Tigard (48 acres);  the Old Orenco Woods Golf Course Property in Hillsboro (30 acres);  and the Mt. Williams Property in
West Beaverton (30 acres).

His opponent, Betty Bode has served the City of Beaverton as a council member for more than 8 years, and has done a great service to the city.  I do hope she continues in that role, but in the May 18 primary, let's return Dick to his seat on the commission and continue his great service to us.

Veterans Drive Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Citing the theme, Honoring past, present and future Veterans, Hillsboro Mayor Jerry Willey, Council President Aron Carlson, current Washington County Commission Chair Andy Duyck, and former chair Tom Brian cut the ribbon to celebrate the opening of Veterans Drive at the Washington County Fairgrounds today.

Chair Duyck opined that the route provides "an important east west connection" for visitors attending the many events on the grounds, from "bead shows to the county fair" that takes significant pressure off Cornell Road traffic for the more than 100,000 visitors who attend the 4 day fair each August alone.

More than a dozen cyclists also took part using the county's first elevated cycle track next to the vehicle lane along the drive, separated by a slanted curb that would allow easy egress from the track to the road surface to make a left turn for example, is easy to navigate.  Getting back on might be a problem, but an easy one to master.


Here's looking to phase II which will connect with Veterans Plaza at the round-about eastward to Brookwood Drive.

Here is a link to the map - http://www.ci.hillsboro.or.us/PublicWorks/CapitalImprovementProjects/Documents/VETERANSVICINITYMAP.pdf

The first opened today.  THE next phase is expected to be completed in 2013.