Oregon City has three new opportunities to seize and support.

A New City Manager—By the time you read this, we will likely have selected an experienced and skilled city administrator for our city. The high quality of the applicant pool was a reflection of the good opportunities Oregon City offers and of the excellent management provided by retiring manager Larry Patterson. The selection process gave community leaders, city staff, and citizens an opportunity to meet the candidates and express their views on the future of Oregon City. What an opportunity to renew our partnerships and reset our vision!

A Preserve America Community—Oregon City is one of only six communities in Oregon to be selected for this prestigious designation. First Lady Michelle Obama wrote to the citizens of Oregon City on February 2, 2010: “Your community holds a treasured place in the American story, and it is through your vision and dedication that our history will be upheld and our future will be renewed.” We are now eligible for matching grants to support our efforts in historic preservation, heritage tourism, and community revitalization. What anopportunity to turn our historic resources into economic assets!

Improved Facilities—Watch for the Dedication of the Willamette Terrace, McLoughlin Boulevard enhancements, and Jon Storm Park this Spring. With the moving of a former Southern Pacific depot and more parking, our Amtrak Station will be finished in June. We are in serious negotiations with the school district regarding the use of Eastham School for our city library, and with the National Park Service over the transfer of historic Ermatinger House. Two citizen groups are debating the future of Carnegie Center and the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. What an opportunity to solve city problems through collaboration and building reuse!

These new opportunities will continue to improve our livability and our prospects for creating and retaining jobs in Oregon City.