Major improvements, including building fishing platforms and installing a restroom, are planned for next summer at one of the most popular fishing holes in Baker County.

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission on June 13 awarded $275,000 for work at the Highway 203 Pond, just east of Interstate 84 at the Medical Springs exit, about 4 miles north of Baker City, said Marty Olson, coordinator for the Restoration and Enhancement program at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

In addition, Olson said, Step Forward Activities of Baker City, the nonprofit that helps residents with intellectual and development disabilities, received a $100,000 grant from Travel Oregon to install a restroom at the pond.

“It’s a wonderful partnership,” Olson said.

The $275,000 comes from a surcharge on fishing licenses, Olson said.

Construction is planned to start in late summer or fall of 2026, he said on Tuesday, June 24.

Ethan Brandt, district fish biologist at ODFW’s La Grande office, said improvements at the Highway 203 Pond are a priority because the pond, which is on state property managed by ODFW and is stocked each spring with thousands of rainbow trout, is “one of our hottest urban fisheries.”

In addition to the projects designed to make the pond more accessible for anglers, including people in wheelchairs or with other mobility issues, Olson said state officials are seeking money from the Oregon State Marine Board to build an multi-bay archery shooting range near the pond.

That money hasn’t been allocated, Olson said.

Work that will be done with the $275,000 grant will be concentrated at the southeast corner of the pond, Olson said. The restroom built with the Travel Oregon grant to Step Forward will be in the same area.

Projects will include:

• Grading and graveling the road along the south side of the pond, as well as a parking area. The parking area will include some ADA-accessible paved spots.

• Paved paths from ADA parking spaces to concrete fishing platforms accessible to anglers in wheelchairs.

• Clusters of flat rocks along the shore where people can stand to fish.

• ADA-accessible paths along the shore.

Olson said ODFW officials looked at all sides of the pond but chose the south side for the improvements.