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e a s t c o u n t y l e a d e r
october 2013
5
cally, his initial assignment on Mt. Hood
was the complete opposite.
“When I started, I was laying out
timber sales in the Bull Run Water Shed,”
he said, laughing. “We don’t do that any
more.”
Daoust became a budget o cer for
the U.S. Forest Service Regional Head-
quarters in downtown Portland in 1999.
Since 2001, he has served as the assistant
director of state and private forestry for
Oregon, Washington and Alaska, where
he supervises 14 program managers.
Daoust’s department allocates grants to
the individual states, who then distribute
the funds to private partners to manage
public and private lands. A federal em-
ployee, Daoust was on furlough earlier
this month due to the government shut-
down.
But a er moving to Troutdale in
1990, Daoust made a name for himself
as the co-coordinator for the inception
and completion of the Imagination Sta-
tion play structure in Columbia Park.
e city had a functioning recreation
department, but lacked an all-inclusive
park for families.
“ e vision was a high quality play-
ground for the children of Troutdale,”
Daoust explained. “We visited similar
structures in Hood River and West Linn
and we wanted one like that in our com-
munity.
“ e architects from New York went
to Sweetbrier and Troutdale elementary
schools and talked to the kids about
what they wanted to have in a play struc-
ture. And we were able to include those
components in the design. It was quite a
progress.”
With a visual in place, Daoust then
hauled out the proverbial drum, to rally
volunteers, donors and eventually, the
city.
“ e bottom line was, I had to work
with the city on that one,” he recalled.
“I looked into the city’s budget — I’m
a budget guy — and learned where the
money was for the project. I went to
the city council and got $40,000 out of
them.”
“And they remembered how I did it
later, when I ran for a council position,”
he added, laughing.
Ground was broken in the fall of
1993, on the 19-acre site just west of
Reynolds High School on Cherry Park
Road. Daoust led the charge to raise
nearly $150,000 in cash and another
$150,000 in donated materials for the
park, which was formally dedicated in
August 1994.
e event marked a de n-
ing moment for Daoust, in terms of en-
gaging the community.
“ at was the biggest public event
ever in East Multnomah County,” he said.
“We had over 2,000 people out there over
ve days to build that structure.”
Daoust was also part of a team who
negotiated with a home developer for
the one-acre parcel adjacent to the play
structure. ey succeeded in convincing
the developer to donate the land, which
is now home to a multi-use recreational
area. Troutdale’s Parks Advisory Com-
mittee named the site Daoust Field in
honor of its visionary.
“I consider that to be my biggest ac-
complishment,” Daoust said. “I remem-
ber when we nished the park and had
the dedication. It was a Sunday night
and we had just nished nailing the last
board and hanging the kid’s artwork. We
cut the ribbon and a rainbow appeared.
It was symbolic of ‘good job.’”
With a lengthy career in the forest
service, it should come as no surprise
that Daoust, his wife, Marianne, and
their blended family of ve children are
avid outdoor enthusiasts. Daoust and
Marianne enjoy walking around their
Troutdale neighborhood and hiking
trails throughout the Paci c Northwest.
Mostly empty-nesters these days, Daoust
and Marianne place a high priority on
family, spending time with Daoust’s
parents in southeast Portland and two
grandsons.
Yet Daoust is rarely far from that
drum. He has marched with the One
More Time Around Again Band in the
Portland Rose Festival Grand Floral Pa-
rade since 1998 and has also made ap-
pearances with the band in Troutdale’s
SummerFest Parade.
But it’s the one he beats for Troutdale
that resonates most.
“I’ve made this place my home,”
Daoust said. “ ere’s still a small town
feeling here and I’m just determined to
make it a better place to live.”
SPOTLIGHT
Mayor Doug Daoust speaks with a resident in downtown Troutdale. PAMPLIN MEDIA: JIM CLARK
"I've made this place my home.
There's still a small town feeling
here and I'm just determined to
make it a better place to live."
DOUG DAOUST
Mayor of Troutdale
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