By KIRBY NEUMANN-REA
News editorA historic beach party comes to Hood River Saturday.
The grand opening of the Hood River Waterfront Park will be from 4 to 7
p.m. at the park, located on the Columbia River, between the shoreline and
Portway Avenue.
Mayor Linda Streich will lead a 5 p.m. ribbon cutting, with members of
the Waterfront Community Park Association. They have guided more than $1.1
million in fund-raising and in-kind donations to develop a beach, lawn,
trails, landscaping and other amenities at the 6.6 acre site.
Starting at 4 p.m. there will be food, fun and games for children, and
live music by Cash Cow, and a ribbon cutting. The park is located west of
the Event Site. Parking is available on the gravel lot next to the park,
and on the street.
“This is an event to celebrate a great deal of hard work,” said City
Manager Bob Francis. “Everybody who was involved in this, from the person
who gave $5 to those who gave larger grants in the thousands all own a
piece of this park, and they all should be down their to celebrate.
“A lot of people have come together for this and this event is a
culmination of that.”
On the other hand, “the work isn’t over,” Francis said. A permanent
restroom will probably be built this fall, replacing the portable
facilities.
The city has received a $50,000 grant for a picnic shelter, but it will
probably wait until next year while the Park Design Committee reviews all
facilities in the park in order to create a uniform “Northwest theme,”
that Francis said will feature wood, rock, and possibly reused materials.
The city is in competition for a $50,000 grant for a playground, which
should be announced in September.
The work is grassroots in more than one way. First, citizen-based
fundraising that “got this park built much sooner than many of us
expected,” said Francis.
Second, grass will be planted soon. The large expanse of dirt awaits
the fall planting season for grass seed, Francis said. Also, plants and
trees should also be put in place by fall.
“It is a year round park, and it needs to be up and going,” he said.
