Turtle Place Grand Opening Friday, May 1

Vancouver, Wash. – What was hatched in September is almost fully grown! Turtle Place is opening to the public with The Running of the Turtles on Friday morning, May 1, at 10:00 a.m. Please join us for the big event!

10:00 a.m.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Turtle Place Plaza

7th and Washington Streets in Downtown Vancouver

Remember that unsightly concrete pad that was home to a transit center for more than two decades? Over the last eight months, that memory has become more and more distant as Turtle Place has taken shape. Thanks to a cooperative effort led by Vancouver’s Downtown Association, the former bus stop at downtown Vancouver’s Seventh Street, in between Washington and Main Streets, is being transformed into Turtle Place, a model of sustainability and a vision of urban beauty

Schedule of Events

(9:30 a.m. Press Availability)

VDA President Lee Coulthard and Board Member Carl Dobbs available.

9:40 a.m. Columbia River High School Marching Band

Band will begin playing in the parking lot near the roundabout at 6th and Esther Streets, march through Esther Short Park, cross Columbia Street at 7th Avenue, go through VancouverCenter and cross Washington to arrive at Turtle Place.

10:00 a.m. Opening Ceremonies

Speakers will include VDA Board Member and Turtle Place Project Manager Carl Dobbs, VDA President Lee Coulthard, Lead Contractor Jerry Nutter, La Center Mayor and C-Tran Board Chair Jim Irish, and Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard.

10:20 a.m. The Running of the Turtles!

- We’re excited to have real turtles as our special guests!

Ok, we’re not going to make the turtles run. But they’ll be on-site, with their handler, for kids to see and touch. One of them weighs 150 lbs! (All turtles are humanely cared for and handled at all times.)

- Nutter Construction will have heavy equipment on hand for kids to safely play on, and officially mark the end of construction.

- The Umpqua Ice Cream Truck will be on hand, sponsored by Umpqua Bank, to give away free ice cream to all attendees!

- Local and sustainable operations will be set up for a series of exhibits, including Clark Public Utilities, C-Tran, the Neighbors on Watch program, Kazoodles Toys, and Newsies Coffee Shop (who’ll have turtle-shaped cookies!).

10:30 a.m. Dedication of the Sculpture

- If you’ve never seen a christening by firehose, you’re definitely going to want to see this!

5 p.m. Art Walk Reception

Come out for Art Walk and celebrate with us again! Representatives of Turtle Place will be on hand to answer questions and explain the sustainable and artistic elements.

But that’s not all!

VDA is working with Downtown retailers to provide special offers all day on May 1. If you see a yellow turtle mask in a vendor’s window, stop inside and ask about their turtle-special!

Made Possible by an Extensive Partnership

Spearheaded and funded by Vancouver’s Downtown Association, Turtle Place is possible only because Vancouver’s Downtown Association, C-Tran, and the City of Vancouver have worked together step by step to bring this temporary plaza downtown. Local businesses in all arenas have donated time, talent, and treasure to make this sustainable plaza possible.

All design work has been donated by local civil engineering firm Harper Houf Peterson Righellis, leaders in landscape architecture and sustainability planning. Nutter Construction has come on board as the contractor to perform the work, and their heavy equipment will soon be seen transforming the former bus mall into a park for all of us to enjoy. Clark Public Utilities has worked closely with the project, every step of the way, to help design and procure a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient lighting system. Thompson Metal Fab is creating brackets, designed by Group MacKenzie, to hold this LED lighting system. Identity Clark County and Wayne Magnoni at Main Street Partners have lent immeasurable support. Local design team Tribe 2 Studios designed the mural art, which is being painted by prominent local artist Guy Drennan. The centerpiece water feature is a sculpture created by artists Wendy Armstrong and Greg Conyne, made of cast-off parts from the Clark Public Utilities and C-Tran “boneyards,” as well as pieces donated by the contractor who originally built the bus mall 20 years ago.

All of this cooperation, of course, wouldn’t be possible without funding! Working closely with local businesses that want to see their community revitalized, VDA has created a sizable fund that is specifically dedicated to downtown infrastructure improvements. Donors whose contributions have helped fund this effort include The Columbian, The Bank of Clark County, First Independent Bank, Albina Fuel, Hi-School Pharmacy, and Burgerville.