SALEM, Oregon— The southwest corner of Willson Park, within State Capitol State Park, will be temporarily closed due to construction into October.
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) will remove a total of eight trees (two pine trees and six small crabapple trees) from the site this week. The trees are not heritage trees or considered significant in terms of age or history.
The trees will be removed to make space for the future Vietnam Veterans Memorial. OPRD is working with the local nonprofit leading the project and the landscape architects designing the grounds.
The current closure area covers about one acre of Willson park. The closure area will be reduced by half once the project team completes water and electrical work, which is expected to take about a month. The southwest corner of Willson Park will reopen when phase one of the memorial is complete, which is slated for October.
OPRD asks visitors to respect the signs and barriers as crews complete their work. For additional information about the memorial project, visit its website at https://ocvvm.com/about/