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Northeast Portland has a shortage of parks, but two more are expected to be built by fall 2017. One, Luuwit View Park, will open on 16 acres between Northeast Fremont and Shaver streets.

The new park, in the Argay neighborhood, will serve about 1,000 people, said Mark Ross, a spokesman for Portland Parks and Recreation. Money from system development charges will pay for the $8.4 million project, he said.

Only two of five people in Northeast Portland have easy access to a park or green space, Ross said, so the park will be a welcome addition, especially since it will be next to Shaver Elementary School.

鈥淲ith this vast expanse and acres of parks, I don’t know how those kids are going to be able to concentrate,鈥� Ross said.

The park got its name from its views of Mount St. Helens, which the Native American people of the Upper Cowlitz called Luuwit. Cary Watters, a Tlingit tribe member who was on the naming committee, stated that the name honors the Native tradition.

鈥淭he fact that this park honors the traditional way in which our people named places is a huge step forward in healing, not only for the Native community, but for the land and the at-large community,鈥� she said.

The new park will be completely accessible and include expansive lawns, a playground, a youth soccer field, an area for teens and a 鈥渇og garden鈥� 鈥� essentially a misty play area for children. The teen area will be covered and include a climbing structure, a full-size basketball court, pingpong tables, a skate park and group seating areas. Other features planned for the park include picnic areas, a covered shelter with a restroom, paths for pedestrians and bicyclists, community gardens, a fenced area for dogs to be off leash and parking. A multiuse paved trail will circle the entire park with public art and bilingual interpretive signs.

Ground was broken recently on Luuwit View Park; meanwhile, construction of the new four-acre Gateway Discovery Park is under way off of Northeast Halsey Street between 104th and 106th avenues. That project is expected to wrap up around the same time.