Roseburg Council Rejects Stewart Park Master Plan Bids After Debate Over Project Scope

ROSEBURG, Ore. - Plans to update Stewart Park took an unexpected turn Monday night when the Roseburg City Council voted 5-2 to reject all proposals and send the project back for additional work.

The council had been asked to award a $279,370 professional services contract to Cameron McCarthy, the highest-ranked of four firms that submitted proposals. Instead, a majority of councilors decided the planning area should be reconsidered before the city commits to a plan expected to guide the park for the next 20 years.

At the center of the discussion was Schedule B, an optional portion of the proposal covering Gaddis Park, multi-use trail connections and nearby open-space and waterfront areas.

Several councilors questioned why the planning area stopped where it did. They discussed extending it farther along the riverfront toward the former visitor center near Deer Creek. The conversation also touched on whether the planning work should reach as far as Micelli Park.

Councilor Zack Weiss argued that the city should not make a decision affecting the next 20 years simply to avoid delaying the project by a few months. He said moving forward with a narrower plan would be short-sighted when the council already saw value in expanding the planning area.

Weiss also raised concerns that dividing the work into separate planning projects could ultimately cost the city more. He said the riverfront, trail and park areas feel connected to people walking or riding between downtown and Stewart Park, and the city should use this opportunity to consider the entire corridor.

Councilor Ellen Porter agreed that the areas are geographically connected and said it made sense to consider them comprehensively.

Other councilors questioned whether the trail corridor belonged in the Stewart Park Master Plan or should remain part of the city's separate bicycle and pedestrian planning efforts. Another possibility discussed Monday was moving forward with the Stewart Park portion now, then developing a separate plan for the corridor between Gaddis and Micelli parks.

That option did not win over a majority of the council. Councilors ultimately clarified that approving the motion would reject every proposal and require the city to begin the solicitation process again. Five councilors voted in favor and two opposed it.

The final motion did not establish an exact new boundary. It directed the city to reject the existing proposals and revisit Schedule B to include additional areas.

Public Works Director Ryan Herinckx said the change would likely require another request for proposals. Returning the project for new proposals could add four to five months to the process.

The delay also raises a question about $125,000 in outside funding committed to the project through the Oregon Community Foundation. When asked whether changing the scope or timeline could affect that funding, Herinckx said he did not yet have an answer. The funding commitment was based on the project as originally proposed.

Under the rejected proposal, the main Stewart Park planning work would have cost $224,480. Schedule B would have added $54,890, bringing the total to $279,370.

The base proposal covered Stewart Park's natural area, golf course, Fir Grove fields and Riverfront Park. Schedule B added Gaddis Park and nearby trail, waterfront and open-space areas.

The city had already budgeted $150,000 for the update. The $125,000 funding commitment and another $4,370 from city reserves would have covered the remainder.

Roseburg received four proposals after advertising the project in June. A four-member staff committee ranked Cameron McCarthy first with 114 points out of 125. Moore Iacofano Goltsman ranked second, followed by Range Studio and PORT. Staff did not conduct interviews because of the scoring results.

The Roseburg Parks Commission unanimously recommended awarding the contract to Cameron McCarthy during its Sept. 2 meeting. City staff supported that recommendation, but the council's vote brought the process to a halt before a contract was authorized.

The existing Stewart Park Master Plan was adopted in 2000. Some of its recommendations have since been completed, including construction of the Fir Grove soccer fields and skate park, expansion of the tennis center and improvements to park restrooms and the pavilion. Other ideas, such as relocating the park maintenance facility and building an amphitheater, were never carried out.

The 236-acre park serves as one of Roseburg's primary locations for sports, recreation and community gatherings.

An initial phase of the update was completed in December 2025 and included site analysis, mapping and a community survey. A total of 1,382 people responded, with walking, running and exercise among the most frequently reported uses of the park.

Once the city selects a consultant under the revised process, development of the new master plan is expected to take approximately one year.