McCormick Park Improvements for Summer Events

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 6, 2024

St. Helens, Ore. - St. Helens’ annual 13 Nights on the River summer concert series is making a temporary move to McCormick Park for its 2024 season. Started in 2005, the free concert series has been hosted each year in Columbia View Park in the St. Helens Riverfront District. It was originally organized by the City’s St. Helens Parks Commission before it passed to the St. Helens Community Foundation and then back to the City of St. Helens which currently oversees the event.

The St. Helens City Council decided at their April 17, 2024, meeting to temporarily move the event to McCormick Park for its 2024 season due to waterfront construction impacts. Construction is currently underway on the City’s Streets and Utilities Extension Project. The Riverwalk Project, which is focused on improvements to Columbia View Park, is anticipated to begin construction at the end of May 2024. Combined with other construction projects also happening in the immediate area, including Columbia County’s John Gumm Building renovation and an elevator and sidewalk improvements project at the Columbia County Courthouse, the St. Helens City Council decided to move 13 Nights on the River due to the limited parking and event space and to keep construction projects moving forward with minimal disruptions.

“The St. Helens Riverfront District is still open for people to visit their favorite local shops and restaurants during construction,” said City Administrator John Walsh. “In fact, we are encouraging our community to continue to shop local and support local during construction. The decision to move 13 Nights is about minimizing impacts to an area of our city which is already feeling disruptions from major construction projects. 13 Nights draws large crowds, and big events naturally create their own disruptions. By limiting events in the downtown area during the summer, we hope that it will help construction move forward in a timely manner which will support our Riverfront District businesses in the long run. Our businesses can then welcome back large crowds of community members and visitors to an improved and beautiful Riverfront District.”

With 13 Nights on the River moving to McCormick Park, the City of St. Helens is making parking and pedestrian pathway improvements along Old Portland Road near the City’s St. Helens Recreation Center. Temporary parking stall striping will add approximately 151 parking spaces to the vacant gravel lot behind the St. Helens Recreation Center at 1810 Old Portland Road. The City’s Public Works Department will also add a new pedestrian crosswalk and asphalt curb ramp at the intersection of South 18th Street and Old Portland Road. Combined with adjusting the timing of the signal light at the intersection, this will allow safer pedestrian crossing from the temporary parking lot to McCormick Park. Walking path cones and lighting will also be placed during events.

Improvements will begin the week of May 6, 2024. To prevent damage to the temporary parking, the gravel lot’s entrances will be closed when events are not taking place.

To learn more about the City’s Waterfront Redevelopment Project, visit the City’s project website at www.sthelensoregon.gov/waterfront.

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For further information regarding this press release, please contact Communications Officer Crystal King at cking@sthelensoregon.gov.