JEREMY GOLDSMITH

The future of the Mill Ponds Project will be discussed during an open house planned by a local group interested in creating a “city within a park.”

The event is scheduled for noon to 1:30 p.m. Aug. 17 at the Mill Ponds, behind the Seaside Public Works building at 1387 Avenue U.

The Mill Ponds Park Project is a component of a larger scheme to create a citywide park system, called the Necanicum Estuary Natural History Park Project. The project is being overseen by the Estuary Technical Committee, a group composed of representative from nine organizations including the City Council, Sunset Empire Park & Recreation District, North Coast Land Conservancy, National Park Service, Necanicum Watershed Council, Seaside Visitors Bureau and the Seaside School District.

The ultimate vision is to make Seaside “a city within a park,” said Jeremy Goldsmith, the AmeriCorps planning assistant and emergency preparedness outreach coordinator for the city of Seaside.

The city will work on the Necanicum Estuary Natural History Park Project systematically in phases until a sort of connected park loop is created around the city, he said. The Mills Pond Park Project is the first phase of the estuary project.

“We’re focusing on this to start with,” Goldsmith said.

The purpose of the open house is to gather information from the public about what people would like to see at the mill ponds. Six stations will be set up around the ponds. At each station, participants can learn about some of the ideas regarding the project that were generated by the committee. Participants can also share their own ideas.

After the open house, committee members will review the information they received and work with the Seaside Park Advisory Committee on a design. The proposal — including a cost estimate — will go to the Seaside City Council in about a year for consideration, Goldsmith said.

“The idea is we’ll get through this process, and we’ll have a template for the next phase in the larger scheme,” he said.

Other opportunities for public input will be provided throughout the course of the project.

Parking for the open house will be available at the public works building.

For more information, contact Goldsmith at (503) 738-7100.