Kevin Duckworth Memorial Dock Explained

Kevin J. Duckworth Memorial Dock
Location:Portland, Oregon, United States
Coordinates:45.5248°N -122.6659°W
Type:Dock

The Kevin J. Duckworth Memorial Dock is a dock on the Willamette River, along Portland, Oregon's Eastbank Esplanade.[1]

History

The dock has served as a memorial to Kevin Duckworth since 2009.[2] [3] [4] In 2016, the Oregon State Marine Board considered a proposal from Daimler Trucking North America to relocate the dock to Swan Island to the company's headquarters.[5] [6] [7] This move was approved by Oregon State Marine Board and Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R).[8] [9] Human Access Project (HAP) intervened to stop this move from happening.[10] [11] The organization proposed improvements to the dock in 2017 by hiring landscape architect firm M.I.G. to reinvision the use of the dock as a non-motorized swimming and fishing dock that included swim ladders and bike racks.[12] [13]

In 2020, HAP was successful in converting the use of the dock from motorized to non motorized and implementing improvements including the addition of eight swimming ladders and bike racks.[14] [15] On July 19, 2021, City of Portland Commissioner Mingus Mapps participated in a Duckworth Wednesday event, where he spoke and jumped in the Willamette River with his staff. In 2022, PP&R and HAP designated the dock one of six safer swimming areas on the Willamette River.[16] In May 2024, the Portland City Council unanimously agreed to transfer the Duckworth (as well as the Holman Dock) to PP&R. These docks were previously managed by Portland Bureau of Transportation and Prosper Portland respectively.[17]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: September 4, 2020 . Duckworth Dock reinvented as arguably the best swimming hole in Portland . 2023-07-20 . kgw.com . en-US . 2023-07-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230720231233/https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/duckworth-dock-reinvented-as-arguably-the-best-swimming-hole-in-portland/283-3f53c592-f36b-4427-9015-62994c3de3da . live .
  2. Web site: Bucket . Busta . Trail Blazers, City of Portland to Honor Duckworth . 2023-07-20 . Bleacher Report . en . 2009-08-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090828040733/http://bleacherreport.com/articles/242666-trail-blazers-city-of-portland-to-honor-duckworth . live .
  3. Web site: Freeman. Joe. 2009-09-18. Willamette River dock dedicated to honor Trail Blazer Kevin Duckworth. 2020-08-17. The Oregonian. en.
  4. Web site: Boddie. Ken. 2018-07-23. Where We Live: The Duckworth Dock. 2020-08-17. KOIN.com. en-US. 2020-11-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20201126194930/https://www.koin.com/news/where-we-live-the-duckworth-dock/. live.
  5. Web site: Leighton. Michael. 2016-02-16. Duckworth Dock May Move. 2020-08-17. portlandobserver.com. 2020-02-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20200208213721/http://portlandobserver.com/news/2016/feb/16/duckworth-dock-may-move/. live.
  6. Web site: VanderHart . Dirk . Trucking Giant Daimler Has Its Eye on One of Downtown's Only Public Docks . 2023-07-20 . Portland Mercury . en . 2022-12-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221205132127/http://www.portlandmercury.com/news/2016/03/02/17721833/trucking-giant-daimler-has-its-eye-on-one-of-downtowns-only-public-docks . live .
  7. Web site: 2016-03-30 . Portland Outdoors: Duckworth Dock One Step Closer to Moving . 2023-07-29 . Portland, OR Patch . en.
  8. Web site: 2016-03-29 . City gets approval to relocate Duckworth dock . 2023-10-01 . kgw.com . en-US.
  9. Web site: 2016-03-30 . Portland Outdoors: Duckworth Dock One Step Closer to Moving . 2023-07-20 . Portland, OR Patch . en . 2016-04-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160413185131/http://patch.com/oregon/portland/portland-outdoors-duckworth-dock-one-step-closer-moving-0 . live .
  10. Web site: September 4, 2020 . Duckworth Dock reinvented as arguably the best swimming hole in Portland . 2023-07-20 . kgw.com . en-US . 2023-07-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230720231233/https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/duckworth-dock-reinvented-as-arguably-the-best-swimming-hole-in-portland/283-3f53c592-f36b-4427-9015-62994c3de3da . live .
  11. Web site: Vandel . Willie Levenson and Tom . 2016-03-24 . My View: Repurpose, don't move, Duckworth Dock . 2023-07-31 . PortlandTribune.com . en.
  12. Web site: 2017-09-13. Willamette River boosters want to turn Duckworth Dock into a recreational nexus. Bizjournals.com. 2021-11-24. 2020-09-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20200920054300/https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2017/09/13/willamette-river-boosters-want-to-turn-duckworth.html. live.
  13. Web site: Law . Steve . 2017-06-20 . A vision for swimming . 2023-07-25 . PortlandTribune.com . en.
  14. Web site: Portland's Newest Swimming Hole Is Ready for Your Diving Pleasure . 2023-07-20 . Portland Monthly . en-US . 2020-11-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201117055417/https://www.pdxmonthly.com/travel-and-outdoors/2020/09/portland-s-newest-swimming-hole-is-ready-for-your-diving-pleasure . live .
  15. Web site: 2020-08-17 . Duckworth Dock to get new bike parking area . 2023-07-20 . BikePortland . en-US . 2023-05-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230531203416/https://bikeportland.org/2020/08/17/duckworth-dock-to-get-new-bike-parking-area-319665 . live .
  16. Web site: 2022-07-25 . Portland Parks & Recreation highlights 6 safer swimming spots along the Willamette River . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230720231314/https://katu.com/news/local/portland-parks-recreation-set-to-announce-6-safer-swimming-spots-along-the-willamette-river-summer . 2023-07-20 . 2023-07-20 . KATU . en.
  17. Web site: 2024-05-09 . Popular Eastbank Esplanade docks transferred to Portland parks department . 2024-05-15 . KOIN.com . en-US.