OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Forest Grove City Council Work Session: Downtown Placemaking and Fluoridation – May 11, 2026

City Council — Monday, May 11, 2026
BodyForest Grove, Oregon
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, May 11, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:21:54

Transcript — Verbatim
0:07

Recording in progress.

0:15

Okay.

0:16

I'm going to call to order this work session of the Forest Grove City Council.

0:20

The topic is on downtown placemaking.

0:24

And just a friendly reminder: no public comment will be taken, and the council will take no formal action.

0:30

And with that, I'm going to turn it over to our city manager.

0:34

Thank you, Mayor.

0:38

Thank you.

0:41

Thank you, Mayor, members of the council.

0:43

I have here with me Brian Pohl, the community development director, and Camizell, the assistant city manager, who will be helping me with this work session.

0:53

I think we have an hour scheduled.

0:56

And so the intent of staff is to kind of go through this PowerPoint in a fairly methodical way and solicit some feedback from council and then look at some next steps regarding a placemaking conversation.

1:11

So if you could go to the next slide.

1:14

Next slide, please.

1:16

So before we kind of talk a little bit about placemaking and different options in Forest Grove, I want to recap a little bit about the parking conversation that we had at the previous council meeting.

1:27

There is a nexus between parking and placemaking.

1:31

And so kind of just recapping that, I think we'll will help inform this conversation.

1:37

The purpose of tonight's work session is to raise awareness and seek feedback on what we are calling attributes of placemaking.

1:43

You'll notice there's a lot of different attributes that go into placemaking, um, how that connects to an event, how that connects to the place in which you're holding the event.

1:51

And then also we're going to go uh through the downtown place making options.

1:55

I think we have 10 total.

1:57

There may be others.

1:58

Welcome to suggestions.

1:59

Uh, but raise some awareness and seek feedback on what some of those options may or may not be.

2:06

So, how does this connect to the 2040 plan?

2:09

There's a lot of things that connect to it, um, from strengthening partnerships with local businesses, downtown parking, wayfinding, but the two that are kind of really central to tonight are on the bottom.

2:20

One is explore opportunities to create a central community gathering space that was really a theme throughout 2040.

2:27

And then the other one that's kind of connected to that uh is develop a festival street pedestrian mall in downtown Forest Grove.

2:34

So next slide, please.

2:37

So in the April 13th work session, council reached consensus on the following six things.

2:44

Prioritizing parking code enforcement, new consistent and recognizable wayfinding to all of our city-owned parking lots.

2:51

Just keep the hour limits the same.

2:53

There were no change to the parking lots and how they are managed, uh, except for to prioritize the resources and improvements for the central city lot or lot two.

3:02

Install a pilot fast stop 15-minute parking stall on Main Street, and if successful, consider another one on Pacific.

3:11

And then last, restripe downtown parking to increase parking by approximately 16 stalls, which is a significant amount of increase in downtown parking.

3:21

So here's where we're at on all of those.

3:23

Staff met recently.

3:24

Actually, we've met a couple times since the work session.

3:27

Code enforcement has been prioritized.

3:29

Compliance and what we call stall turnover is up.

3:32

That's where people are essentially turning over the stalls in the two and the four-hour limits.

3:37

Public works is assembling a wayfinding bid package.

3:40

The estimated cost is approximately $5,000.

3:42

It does not require a budget amendment.

3:45

There are some standards that we have to comply with.

3:47

They're called the municipal traffic code.

3:49

Um so we are applying those M U T C D standards.

3:52

Uh the funding for that would come out of the um uh CIP excise tax.

3:57

You cannot use street fund revenues for parking lots.

4:00

So we've had several questions about paving parking lots, striping parking lots.

4:05

Um the street fund has to be applied for street revenues.

4:07

It cannot be used for parking lots, so we use either general fund or CIP excise tax.

4:13

And then uh third bullet public works is assembling a striping bid package.

4:18

Um, this is for the parking stalls on the street on the public street, not in a parking lot.

4:23

So we can use the street fund.

4:26

We are applying for a budget adjustment.

4:27

You'll hear that tomorrow night.

4:29

Uh for this project, we're estimating it to cost approximately 25,000.

4:33

Um, there was a question about whether we could stripe some of the stalls west of Jesse Quinn.

4:39

I checked with the public works director.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Urban Renewal███████████████████████████27%
Public Engagement██████████████████████22%
Water And Wastewater Management█████████████████17%
Community Engagement█████████████13%
Transportation Safety█████████9%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████5%
Public Health████4%
Procedural███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Forest Grove City Council Work Session – May 11, 2026

The Forest Grove City Council held a work session on May 11, 2026, covering two major topics: downtown placemaking and water fluoridation. No formal action was taken, and no public comment was accepted. The meeting lasted approximately one hour and included presentations from staff, council discussion, and feedback gathering.

Consent Calendar

  • None.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • None (work session with no public comment period).

Discussion Items

Downtown Placemaking

  • Staff recapped the April 13th work session on downtown parking, where council reached consensus on six actions: prioritize parking code enforcement, install wayfinding signage to city parking lots (estimated $5,000 from CIP excise tax), maintain current hour limits, prioritize improvements to Lot 2 (central city lot), install a pilot 15-minute fast-stop stall on Main Street, and restripe downtown parking to add approximately 16 stalls (estimated $25,000, subject to budget adjustment). Public works is assembling bid packages; code enforcement compliance has improved stall turnover.
  • Parking study findings: Main Street and 21st Avenue (the "T" intersection) are busiest after 4 p.m. and on weekends; College Way is busiest during daytime weekdays due to university parking; the central city lot is nearly full weekdays until 4 p.m.; all other city lots are under 85% capacity.
  • Staff presented 10 placemaking options with attributes: size, parking displacement, business impact, usage pattern, fiscal impact, environmental considerations, accessibility, location, and longevity. Options included:
    1. Main Street (Pacific to 21st) – 12,000 sq ft, 32 stalls, 22 storefronts, historically used for events.
    2. 21st Avenue (College to Maine) – 6,000 sq ft, 14 stalls, 4 storefronts, identified as Phase 1 of Festival Street.
    3. 21st Avenue (Maine to alley) – 5,500 sq ft, 11 stalls, 5 businesses, never used alone.
    4. 21st Avenue (alley to A Street) – 8,500 sq ft, 15 stalls, 5 businesses, used as expansion.
    5. College Way (21st to University) – 28,000 sq ft, 73 stalls, no business impacts, can close independently.
    6. College Way (Pacific to 21st) – 12,000 sq ft, 35 stalls, 1 business, requires closure of 21st (College to Maine) and College (21st to University).
    7. Woodfold lot (URA-owned) – 55,000 sq ft, informal parking, food carts, interim use only.
    8. Central city lot (city-owned) – 20,000 sq ft, 64 stalls, no business impacts, used sporadically for small weekend events.
    9. Site B (URA-owned, undeveloped) – 35,000 sq ft, gravel, sloped, not used for events.
    10. Gravel lot near city hall (city-owned) – 15,000 sq ft, informal parking, shaded, high visibility.
  • Council discussion: Councilor Falkner suggested adding the alley adjacent to option 8 to create a night market activation. Councilor Valenzuela raised safety concerns about option 10 due to traffic on 19th Avenue. Councilor Marshall noted time-place-manner restrictions could limit evening events at option 10. Councilor Schimmel emphasized the need for targeted feedback from partners (Adelante Chamber, downtown businesses, Downtown Association) and alignment with outside investment opportunities (Travel Oregon, Oregon Main Street).
  • Council identified key attributes: location (with proximity to existing events and safety), business impact, parking displacement, safety (added as an attribute), longevity, and environmental considerations. Councilor Falconer stressed safety and the importance of concentrating placemaking efforts rather than spreading thin.
  • Council identified top locations: options 2 (21st/College to Maine), 5 (College/21st to University), and 6 (College/Pacific to 21st) received strong interest. Option 8 (central city lot plus alley) also gained interest for future night markets. Councilor Falconer expressed interest in keeping option 9 for a future permanent public market with housing above, but agreed to remove it from current consideration.
  • Council agreed to remove options 7 (Woodfold lot), 9 (Site B), and 10 (gravel lot near city hall) from further consideration. Options 7 and 10 were removed due to interim use limitations and safety concerns; option 9 was removed because it is intended for future redevelopment as a public market.

Water Fluoridation

  • City Manager Greg presented the history: Forest Grove has fluoridated its water since 1952 by council resolution. The current budget impact is approximately $28,000/year ($25,000 for chemical procurement, $3,000 for operations, maintenance, and testing). The city uses two injection points (at the watershed and at the Joint Water Commission entry point) with real-time SCADA monitoring and daily calibration. The target fluoride level is 0.7 mg/L, consistent with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Oregon Health Authority recommendations.
  • Approximately 25% of Oregon community water supplies fluoridate (serving about 900,000 people); nationally, 73% fluoridate. In the Portland metro area, only Beaverton, Forest Grove, and Tualatin Valley Water District fluoridate; Hillsboro does not. The Joint Water Commission does not fluoridate, allowing member cities to decide.
  • Council discussion: Councilor Valenzuela noted that levels above 0.7 mg/L (e.g., 1.5 mg/L) have been linked to cognitive effects in children, but at the recommended level, studies show benefits such as improved cognition in secondary school. Councilor Falconer emphasized that negative studies involved double the recommended amount and that organizations like the CDC, Oregon Dental Association, and American Dental Association strongly support fluoridation, citing Calgary, Canada's recent reintroduction. Councilor Gustison supported fluoridation for its dental health benefits, especially for low-income populations, noting that dental health issues affect everyone through higher costs. Councilor Martinez expressed preference for natural fluoride (mineral) over chemical additives, noted that 2023 testing showed Forest Grove at 0.95 ppm and Joint Water Commission at 1.04 ppm (within range), and suggested the issue should be put to a community vote. No consensus emerged to change current practice.

Key Outcomes

  • Downtown Placemaking: Staff will use council feedback on attributes and preferred locations to prepare recommendations for the next work session. Council identified options 2, 5, and 6 as top candidates for further exploration, along with option 8 (central city lot plus alley). Options 7, 9, and 10 were removed from consideration. Council requested staff to seek input from downtown partners (Adelante Chamber, businesses, Downtown Association) and to explore alignment with Oregon Main Street network resources.
  • Water Fluoridation: No consensus to change current fluoridation policy. Council discussion will be noted; no further action is planned. Councilor Martinez suggested the possibility of a future ballot measure, but no formal motion was made.
  • Both items were work sessions; no formal votes or decisions were taken.

Meeting Transcript

Recording in progress. Okay. I'm going to call to order this work session of the Forest Grove City Council. The topic is on downtown placemaking. And just a friendly reminder: no public comment will be taken, and the council will take no formal action. And with that, I'm going to turn it over to our city manager. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor, members of the council. I have here with me Brian Pohl, the community development director, and Camizell, the assistant city manager, who will be helping me with this work session. I think we have an hour scheduled. And so the intent of staff is to kind of go through this PowerPoint in a fairly methodical way and solicit some feedback from council and then look at some next steps regarding a placemaking conversation. So if you could go to the next slide. Next slide, please. So before we kind of talk a little bit about placemaking and different options in Forest Grove, I want to recap a little bit about the parking conversation that we had at the previous council meeting. There is a nexus between parking and placemaking. And so kind of just recapping that, I think we'll will help inform this conversation. The purpose of tonight's work session is to raise awareness and seek feedback on what we are calling attributes of placemaking. You'll notice there's a lot of different attributes that go into placemaking, um, how that connects to an event, how that connects to the place in which you're holding the event. And then also we're going to go uh through the downtown place making options. I think we have 10 total. There may be others. Welcome to suggestions. Uh, but raise some awareness and seek feedback on what some of those options may or may not be. So, how does this connect to the 2040 plan? There's a lot of things that connect to it, um, from strengthening partnerships with local businesses, downtown parking, wayfinding, but the two that are kind of really central to tonight are on the bottom. One is explore opportunities to create a central community gathering space that was really a theme throughout 2040. And then the other one that's kind of connected to that uh is develop a festival street pedestrian mall in downtown Forest Grove. So next slide, please. So in the April 13th work session, council reached consensus on the following six things. Prioritizing parking code enforcement, new consistent and recognizable wayfinding to all of our city-owned parking lots. Just keep the hour limits the same. There were no change to the parking lots and how they are managed, uh, except for to prioritize the resources and improvements for the central city lot or lot two. Install a pilot fast stop 15-minute parking stall on Main Street, and if successful, consider another one on Pacific. And then last, restripe downtown parking to increase parking by approximately 16 stalls, which is a significant amount of increase in downtown parking. So here's where we're at on all of those. Staff met recently. Actually, we've met a couple times since the work session. Code enforcement has been prioritized. Compliance and what we call stall turnover is up. That's where people are essentially turning over the stalls in the two and the four-hour limits. Public works is assembling a wayfinding bid package. The estimated cost is approximately $5,000. It does not require a budget amendment. There are some standards that we have to comply with. They're called the municipal traffic code. Um so we are applying those M U T C D standards. Uh the funding for that would come out of the um uh CIP excise tax. You cannot use street fund revenues for parking lots. So we've had several questions about paving parking lots, striping parking lots.

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