OREGON CITY, Ore. — People are going to see a big change in scenery around Willamette Falls as a more noticeable phase of demolition gets going on the old Blue Heron paper mill.
It's been more than two years since the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde purchased the old Blue Heron paper mill, on a part of the Willamette River with deep ties to indigenous peoples.
Now the teardown of this 23-acre property really gets going, with a "phase two" demolition starting this past week. It will remove four structures, including the water filtration plant, over the next two months. And the difference will be obvious from Oregon City.
“I think that's key where people can really start seeing some progress ... and you know, it's a fantastic site if you can imagine the buildings all removed, and I think this is going to help people start to imagine some of that," said Michael Langley.
Langley is a Grand Ronde tribal council officer, who as a small boy remembers seeing the falls from a distance. The plan is to restore parts of the area to its natural past in order to bring tribal members, and everyone else, much closer.
“It's exciting, because the public space is going to get the access there to share it with the world. A lot of times we think just the tribes and Oregon community, but really this is a place that should be shared with the world — and that's how we see it,” said Langley.
Along with public spaces, there will be commerce. Visual renderings show a vision that includes dining, shopping and lodging.
“And so we’ll bring back more of the natural feel to it — as much as we can — because it will still be, as it's always been, a place of commerce — and that will also be part of this development,” said Langley.
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde recently pulled out of a partnership with other indigenous nations and local governments, formed to develop a riverwalk and restore public access.
Grand Ronde leaders expressed frustration with a lack of progress.
Langley said people should not perceive that pullout as a sign it is not moving forward. In fact, he says, just the opposite.
“Our timeline is we want to keep it as short as possible; we have members who want that but we're excited," Langley said. "So it's not something that we're running away from it, really it is something that we want to get things moving as fast as we can.”
While this demolition phase is set to take about two months, there is no set timeline for finishing the project with restoration and development — however it will likely take more than a few years.