Mt. Tabor Neighborhood Association

Meet Don McTaggart

Mar 03, 2004

By Dave Hillman

Don McTaggart is the new parks maintenance supervisor for Portland Parks and Recreation east district. This is quite a responsibility, since he is now the supervisor for 38 properties in the district. He replaces Bob Stillson, who has moved to the Rose Unit in Washington Park.

McTaggart spent his early years in Dolph, Oregon, 33 miles outside of Tillamook. His father, a logger, moved his family to central Washington. McTaggart left home at 15 to work on a farm and a dry land wheat ranch. In 1970 he graduated from Connell, Washington, High School, and entered the U. S. Navy. For the next six years, he maintained aircraft while serving tours in Vietnam and the Mediterranean. When he left the Navy in 1976, he became a carpenter, working in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Washington, and Oregon.

In August 1989 McTaggart joined Portland Parks and Recreation as a technician and worked for five years at Mt. Tabor and the east district. In 1994 he became a maintenance mechanic, primarily working on heating and air conditioning citywide. In 2000 he took the supervisory exam and in 2001 was promoted to parks maintenance supervisor for the north district, and this October he was assigned to Mt. Tabor. A plus for McTaggart in this location is that he is closer to his wife?’s work; she is the supervisor for the Montavilla Community Center.

McTaggart would like to maintain what?’s in the park now while adding a higher level of maintenance to certain areas, such as the Harvey Scott monument, view points, and park entry points. Safety and park cleanliness are also high on his list.

I hope that you will stop by the office in the park and take the time to meet Don McTaggart. We are delighted to have him in Mt. Tabor, as well as the other staff members that we have come to know and appreciate.