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Several park projects throughout Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties have started as a result of a levy passed by voters in May 2013.

Proceeds from the levy, which raises $8 million to 10 million per year for five years, will be used for restoration and maintenance, invasive weed removal and other park improvements.

“We have a variety of projects, all aimed at the same thing,” said Kathleen Brennan-Hunter, Metro‘s natural areas program director. “It’s water quality and wildlife habitat. It’s improving our facilities for visitors who come to regional parks and natural areas.”

Nurseries, landscape architecture firms, design and engineering firms and construction companies will be able to submit bids on projects through ORPIN, the state’s project procurement website, Brennan-Hunter said.

The biggest projects will provide new access to nature, Brennan-Hunter said. For instance, presently there is no public access at the 100-acre Scouters Mountain Nature Park in Happy Valley; it’s being created via a $750,000 to $800,000 project.

Crews from Vancouver, Wash.-based Colf Construction are building a new picnic shelter, bathrooms, a trail system and parking, Brennan-Hunter said. Metro purchased the park from the Boy Scouts of America in 2011, she said. The project will be completed by late spring or summer, she said.

Other park projects are gearing up at Oxbow and Blue Lake, near Troutdale and Fairview, respectively. Oxbow will gain building upgrades, a new nature play area and restroom replacements. Blue Lake will receive landscaping and an upgraded disc golf course. Both parks are about 50 years old.

Next year, construction will begin on a $970,000-$1.4 million project at Newell Canyon near Oregon City, Brennan-Hunter said. The project will include a trailhead, parking lots and new trails. Design work and planning will start this spring, she said.

For more information about the levy and different projects, visit: .