Restoration of Washington Jefferson Park will take months and cost a little more than $800,000, Eugene officials said Friday.

The park, which covers 21 acres between Washington and Jefferson streets in the Whiteaker neighborhood, has been closed since March 16 after serving as a temporary urban camp for unhoused people for about a year during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

After the closure, the city spent months doing surface cleanup and assessing the need of parks systems including turf and soil, irrigation, electrical and lighting, and infrastructure and hard surfaces, according to a news release.

That work was not included in $810,000 budgeted from American Rescue Plan Act money for the restoration, said Kelly McIver, a spokesperson for the city’s efforts to help the unhoused and address impacts of homelessness. It cost an additional $13,873, he said, and came from ARPA funding.

Restoration work began Monday as Anderson’s Erosion of Junction City began irrigation system repair, including replacing broken parts, sprinkler heads and compromised water lines in the section of the park between the railroad tracks and West Fifth Avenue, according to the release.

After completing irrigation work, Anderson’s Erosion will remove turf and topsoil in varying depths depending on need then place clean topsoil and seed new grass, the release added.

City assessments in the spring showed small debris, including needles, has nested into the ground between one and five inches throughout the southern portion of the park, McIver said.

The project manager estimates crews will need to remove an average of three inches of soil, he added.

Work will go section by section, McIver said, starting with the area between the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and West Fifth Avenue. The portion between West Fifth and West Sixth avenues will follow, then crews will tackle the portion of the park between West Sixth and West Seventh avenues.

There’s no concrete estimate for when the park could reopen, McIver said.

“All the primary work, the heavy lifting, will be done over the next several weeks,” he said.

But after that, it will be dependent on “when nature allows the grass to firmly take hold so it can be used again,” he said.

Once the turf has taken hold, city crews will clean and refurbish sidewalks and other hard surfaces before reopening the park sometime over the winter, according to the release.

When the restored portion of the park reopens, all city park rules – including a prohibition on camping – will be in effect, the release adds, and the park will be closed overnight.

Staff from Parks and Open Space, the Eugene Police Department and Parking Services will address issues in the park and visit regularly to “promote safe and clean park enjoyment in accordance with Park Rules,” the release reads.  

The northern section of the park between the railroad tracks and West First Avenue, which includes the skate park and horseshoe pits, is and will remain open, the city said.  

Eugene plans to add a new walkway through the park after neighborhood and user feedback to “improve community safety” and connect West Fourth Avenue between Washington and Jefferson streets, the release adds.

Contact city government watchdog Megan Banta at mbanta@registerguard.com. Follow her on Twitter @MeganBanta_1.