Holman Wayside State Park to Close Due to Sex Crimes, Drugs

The closure, which is temporary, was prompted by persistent problems with crime in the small day-use wayside.

These 8 men were all arrested at Holman Wayside Park in May after complaints of illegal sexual activity within the park.

(SALEM, Ore. ) - Holman Wayside, five miles west of Salem on Highway 22, will close Thursday morning at 9:00 AM.

Park staff will lock the restroom and place barricades across the parking lot entrance off Doakes Ferry Road.

Parking in front of the barricades will be prohibited.

A bicycle trail between West Salem and Monmouth that passes through the wayside will remain open.

The closure, which is temporary, was prompted by persistent problems with crime in the small day-use wayside.

The Polk County Sheriff has responded to more than 90 calls to the site in the past 12 months, mainly for complaints related to drugs and lewd behavior.

Park managers have stepped up enforcement, changed parking rules, managed the landscaping and modified the restroom building in an attempt to improve the wayside, but the decades-old problems continued to surface.

Over the next six to 12 months, park staff will work in cooperation with Polk County, the Oregon Department of Transportation and members of the public to develop options for resolving the wayside's persistent problems.

A public meeting date will be scheduled for late September and announced this summer.

A final recommendation will be presented to the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission at one of their regularly-schedule public meetings.

Suggestions, comments and questions may be sent by email to holman.wayside@state.or.us