Tigard wants opinion on 3 bridge rail options for downtown plaza

Scenes of wildlife, riparian grasses or a meandering creek?

Those are among the choices Tigard survey-takers can check off in choosing a favorite design for a bridge railing for the future Nick Wilson Memorial Plaza on Main Street.

That new narrow plaza and walkway, approximately 32 feet wide, will be built on Main Street between Fanno Creek and Cooper Mountain Ale Works.

Asked last year about the type of plaza they’d like to see, 65% of voters gave a nod to a tiered plaza design that features a bottom level that has an active connection from Main Street to the Fanno Creek Trail, complete with layered seat walls. The top level will allow visitors from the brewpub and Main Street to gather and relax in nearby café tables.

“The main reasons given for this choice were lower cost to implement and less impact on the creek,” said a city posting on the preferred design.

A second option had proposed a cantilevered deck design that would have extended over the bank of Fanno Creek.

Now, survey-takers are asked to select one of three options for the plaza’s artisan bridge railing. The first two options include using designs laser cut into weathered steel. The third option is simply made from weathered steel. They include:

Concept A: This design highlights the course of Fanno Creek as it flows from Southwest Portland to the Tualatin River, complete with accent lighting. The new railing would be placed over the existing railing of the Main Street Bridge.

Concept B: Known as the “spy ecology” design, it features silhouettes of native birds, fish, reptiles and insects found in Fanno Creek. The new railing would be placed over the existing railing of the Main Street Bridge as well.

Concept C: A “riparian grasses” design is inspired by various abstracted forms of river grasses. Because this option would replace an existing railing, it would require structural beams, something that would result in a higher cost than the other two options, according to the city’s website.

Residents can make their voice heard through the online survey at: engage.tigard-or.gov/nick-wilson-memorial-plaza .

The plaza is named in honor of the memory of Nick Wilson, a former member of the Tigard City Council who died in 2014 at age 61.

Wilson, who served on the council from 2002 through 2012, envisioned the public space concept and was involved with the initial feasibility study for the plaza.