Campus Site Plan
In 2020 Nordic Northwest began a strategic planning process and formed Task Forces with members and board members serving on the Task Forces. One of the Task Forces that was formed was the Campus Site Plan Task Force with a goal to develop a comprehensive plan of the Nordic Northwest Campus. Task Force members included Co-Chairs Dana Bjarnason & Wynne Petersen-Nedry, Bob Evenson, Ross Fogelquist & Eric Taxer with Advisory members: Scott Burns, Nils Jensen, Hans Sohlstrom, Carl Thompson and Marian Thompson. Deep appreciation to the Task Force Members for their time, expertise and passion.
Nordic Northwest sought input into the plan and feedback to the Task Force recommendations from its members at two Town Hall meetings on March 12, 2020 and October 12, 2021.
What Has Changed
Since 2021 unexpected additions and changes have happened at Nordic Northwest that requires re-evaluating the campus site plan. Ole Bolle Troll, a large public art exhibit on the Nordic Northwest Campus in August 2023 was installed attracting thousands of international, regional and local visitors. In 2023 the Oregon Midsummer Festival moved from Oaks Park to the campus and an annual Viking Beer festival began on campus in 2022. Nordic Northwest annual programming has grown from 89 to 150 cultural programs/events and 107 to 137 private events rentals since 2019.
As part of our collaboration objective, a Nordic key partner test pilot was completed. With adequate space Northwest Danish Association decided to close their leased space on Barbur Blvd in the summer of 2022 and hold their cultural events at Nordic Northwest. Another key partner is Finlandia Foundation Columbia-Pacific Chapter, who holds the majority of their meetings at Nordia House and partners with Nordic Northwest on several cultural events.
At the annual Board Retreat, Nordic Northwest began development of a three-year vision for Nordic Northwest. Actions were identified to be taken in 2024 to make progress towards defining our three-year vision further and updating our organization’s mission. We will conduct Town Halls, focus groups and other listening sessions to hear the voices of our membership and community. This will shape our future vision and update our mission, which will then inform how we will update our long-range Campus Site Plan in a manner to enhance our mission.
Update on the 2021 Strategic Vision for the Campus Site Plan
Space Needs
Assess our space needs for cultural programming, meetings and storage.
Objective 1: Install a Great Hall room divider with movable wall.
Accomplished: With $50,000 in funding from the Shuttered Venue Operators grant a room divider was installed in the fall of 2021. This addition allows for the Great Hall to have multiple spaces for cultural programming, café use and rentals. The partition’s acoustic properties create a high-quality sound barrier between the spaces. The room divider was also beneficial in giving Nordia House a lacking medium size room space with the MLC room able to hold 44 people and the entire Great Hall 204 people.
Objective 2: Acquire property adjacent to Nordic Northwest property for parking.
Accomplished: In August 2023, twenty-five additional parking spaces were added through a long-term lease with Washington County that owns the unused land adjacent to Nordia House. Most days there is adequate parking.
Objective 3: Pave the existing parking lot
To Be Completed: We are continuing to seek funding and have submitted grant requests to achieve this goal.
Objective 4: Conduct initial assessment with ongoing assessments as needed to determine meeting space/studio activity needs, including the Hansen House and the Fogelbo garage
Accomplished: An assessment of room usage at Nordia House during the 2019 calendar year was completed in May 2021. The assessment determined that the current Nordia House space was under-utilized.
There are no current plans to utilize, remove or disassemble Hansen House located on the campus. We are maintaining the Hansen House at the level in which it was received in accordance with the terms of the Life Estate agreement. In the summer of 2023 the house was repainted.
To Be Completed: An assessment for space usage during 2023 is underway.
Objective 5: Inventory current storage to determine the type of storage needed to maintain the necessary proximity and environment for safe storage.
Accomplished: Items stored off-site were moved in 2022 to one consolidated and donated storage site. Inventory of national costumes was completed in July 2021. Inventory of off-site items completed in 2024. In 2021 the storage of corporate records was changed to digitalization and current/future storage of paper records was eliminated.
To be Completed: Inventory of capital items reviewed annually and other on-site storage item inventory needs to be completed. Adding additional on-site storage currently under review. Best storage options still needs to be analyzed.
Objective 6: Adjust the Nordia House/Fogelbo property line.
Accomplished: The Nordia House and Fogelbo properties were formally merged in March of 2022 by the Washington County Assessor’s Office, allowing for future possible expansion of Nordia House.
Nordic Pavilion
Consideration of a new building on the Nordic Northwest campus.
Objective 7: Design and construction of Nordic Pavilion:
Establish land use with Washington County
Refresh proforma to provide current construction, maintenance and operational costs considering the addition of:
Covered, heated outdoor meeting space
Storage
Begin a capital campaign to fund construction and create an endowment for maintenance and operations
Accomplished: In 2021 Nordic Northwest explored with Washington County possible obstacles or permitting issues for a new building on campus. It was determined without starting a formal permitting process that most likely permitting would be granted for an additional building. Based upon the 2019 room assessment it was determined that Nordia House room usage was underutilized.
To Be Completed: Conduct an assessment on the right type of space to meet our future vision and determine if a Nordic Pavilion is truly needed.
Fogelbo
Objective 8: Envision Fogelbo as a heritage house/center open for docent tours, featured exhibits, lectures and social functions.
Conduct an architectural assessment/regulatory review to determine renovations needed to use as public space.
Inventory Fogelbo contents and other historic items in storage for their historic significance/display.
Consider hiring an onsite custodian to ensure a physical presence on the Fogelbo/Nordic Northwest property.
Consider reinstatement of an advisory committee such as “Friends of Fogelbo.”
Accomplished: Quarterly Fogelbo docent tours have been expanded by the Nordic Northwest Fogelbo Heritage subcommittee and quarterly tours of the entire campus will begin in July 2024. In addition, this committee is developing a proposal regarding inventory software to track these historic items. Ross Fogelquist owns the historic items at Fogelbo. A historic preservation assessment was completed in June 2024. At the February 2024 Board meeting a group requested to form a Friends of Fogelbo standing committee and the Board voted not to form this committee.
To Be Completed: The architectural/historic preservation assessment will need to be evaluated by the committee and the Board prior to implementing any recommendations. The inventory of Fogelbo’s contents will need be conducted and completed in coordination of Ross Fogelquist who is the current owner of the historic items.
Outdoor Space
Objective 9:
Consider wetland functionality enhancement including interpretive trails.
Develop play area for children/amphitheater.
Consider adding outdoor heated, covered seating off the Great Hall and café.
Accomplished: In March 2023 Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District did an assessment of the campus and gave recommendations to improve wildlife habitat and water quality for the site. The Board of Directors in June 2023 approved the creation of a comprehensive landscape site plan. In June 2024 Nordic Northwest hired a contractor to provide professional expertise for Wildlife Habitat Restoration project and budgeted resources to begin this project.
During 2023 and 2024 the trail system was enhanced with added trails, a bridge and lighting. Interpretive signage tying together the environmental message of Troll Ole Bolle to the environmental features of the campus will be in place summer 2024.
Nordic Northwest is deeply appreciative of the volunteer group called the Fogelbo Forest Trolls who volunteer each Tuesday and greatly contribute to the enhancement of the campus with landscaping, invasive plant removal, weeding, planting, leaving raking and so many other projects.
To Be Accomplished: Grant funding is being sought to complete this project.
What’s Next
Edward Running, Board member and Eric Taxer, Nordic Northwest member will be leading our strategic visioning to update and finalize the Campus Site Plan with input from future focus groups and Town Hall meetings.
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