Bend Park and Recreation District is working on an improvement project at Sawyer Park and will share project information, including plans to mitigate potential impacts to cultural and historic resources at the site. An open house is scheduled for Tuesday, April 22, from 5 pm to 7 pm at the District Office, 799 SW Columbia St. in Bend.
Sawyer is one of Bend’s oldest and most beloved parks. Decades of use and increased visitors to the park each year have created the need for an improved entrance and parking lot. The existing amenities can no longer provide the functions and space needed for the park.
The project plans include relocating the parking area closer to O.B. Riley Road, adding accessible parking, habitat restoration, improving trail accessibility, and the addition of a permanent restroom, picnic shelter and river overlook.
The project was awarded over $1 million from a Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant. As part of the grant program, there was a review of potential impacts the project may have on cultural and historic resources on the site. This project was determined to have an adverse effect on some of those resources.
“We worked with the National Park Service, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and Oregon State Historic Preservation Office to create a plan to mitigate the impact of the adverse effects, and I will share information about that plan at the open house,” said Bronwen Mastro, BPRD landscape architect and project manager.
The meeting is open-house style and there will not be a formal presentation. Community members are encouraged to drop in at their convenience if they would like to learn more.
The project is estimated to be completed in summer 2026. Learn more at the project webpage.
