At long last, the City of Canby has announced the grand opening of the Maple Street Park splash pad: 4 p.m. Friday, June 18 — just in time for summer break.
Built with $475,000 of SDC (system development charge fees paid by residential and commercial developers) funds, the new splash pad was completed last August, but its opening was delayed by Covid restrictions, the September wildfires and the city administrator vacancy.
Officials had hoped to open the new feature by Memorial Day weekend, but faced some challenges, as City Administrator Scott Archer explained during this week’s City Council meeting.
“We’ll probably be able to get that open earlier going forward, but this year, with Covid stuff and getting it ready to be operational for the first time, it took a little longer,” Archer said.
Engineers and Public Works staff will be doing some final tests, run-throughs and routine maintenance in the weeks ahead to ensure the spray park is ready for the long season ahead.
“We want to make sure we’ve got this right before we open it, and this requires a bit more time,” Council President Traci Hensley explained on her political Facebook page.
“Once we have a season of operation and experience under our belts, future years will be much more straightforward in turning on the system sooner, when the warm weather begins.”
June 18 is the first full day of summer break for the Canby School District, and the splash pad will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. for the remainder of the summer.
“This being our first one, it’s a big deal and we want to celebrate that,” Archer said. “I know our community’s excited.”
The grand opening will feature a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the mayor along with members of the City Council and Parks and Recreation Committee. Light refreshments will be served. The public is welcome to attend.
Maple Street Park is located at 1300 North Maple Street between Territorial Road and Northeast 10th Avenue.
