**updated May 19**
It’s been an exceptionally wet winter and early spring in the greater Beaverton area – a record-setter, in fact.
You may have experienced trouble mowing your own lawn. If so, you can probably better understand the challenge THPRD has faced with dozens of sports fields across the district’s 50-square-mile area.
Getting those fields ready for play is a top priority. For that reason, we’ve reallocated resources and done whatever else we can during these extraordinary circumstances. Those actions, combined with improving weather, mean that nearly all sports fields THPRD maintains are now playable.
Nevertheless, some fields are still not completely ready, including a few at Beaverton School District sites that THPRD maintains through an intergovernmental agreement.
In some cases, our maintenance crews have been able to mow part of a field and its environs but not all. The reason is simple: Running the equipment on an exceptionally wet portion risks damaging the field and prolonging its downtime considerably.
(Baseball and softball fields have presented an added challenge because of their dirt infields. Once they get saturated, it can take a long time to dry them out, despite our most determined maintenance efforts.)
This is not unique to THPRD. Other park and recreation agencies in the Portland area are experiencing the same challenges.
May 19 update
With the improved weather we’re having now, our intention is to have all parks and field areas on normal mowing schedule by Friday, May 26. Thank you for your continued patience.