PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A local nonprofit director is canceling his annual summer bike camp for kids due to ongoing safety concerns along the Springwater Corridor.
Joe Kurmaskie made the announcement on his Facebook page Monday, citing personal experiences with threats, weapons and open drug use while biking on the trail.
“The Springwater Corridor has become too unsafe and it is our main pipeline to all the bike adventures we do for the kids each summer,” Kurmaskie wrote. “My heart breaks for my community and for the kids who will not get this experience.”
Kurmaskie has hosted “Camp Creative: No Child Left Inside” for the past 4 summers in collaboration with Portland Parks & Recreation.
He tells KOIN 6 News he’s not willing to risk other people’s safety.
“I’ve had incidents with my children where people [throw] bottles at us, running at us with wolverine knives duct taped onto their hands,” Kurmaskie recalled.
PP&R will reportedly meet with Kurmaskie to discuss options for relocating the camp.
In the meantime, Kurmaskie says local police should do more to patrol the area.
“We should put teams on bikes,” he suggested. “Social workers, police, advocates that could be helping them.”
The City of Portland recently hired the nonprofit Oregon Solutions to assess the situation along the Springwater Trail.
Filed under: Community, Local News, Multnomah County, News, Oregon, Portland, Top Video
