‘Something Canby Can Be Proud Of’: Council OKs Budget, ‘Grasslands’ Theme for Splash Pad

The Canby City Council has approved on first reading a contractor, budget and general design concept for the city’s new splash pad at Maple Street Park. The design will follow the “Grasslands” concept proposed by the firm 2KG Contractors, which incorporates grass, plants, wildflowers and other elements in line with the city’s identity as the “Garden Spot.”

While the $475,000 budget for this design is well above the initial amount the city had hoped to spend on the splash pad (which had been in the neighborhood of a quarter million), City Administrator Rick Robinson said at last week’s Canby City Council meeting that this will be “money well spent.”

With a contractor now in place, the next step will be for the firm to prepare several design concepts for the Canby splash pad, which will be presented to the community at a future public hearing. Based on that input, 2KG will finalize the design and move forward with construction.

Robinson said there are certain “givens” when it comes to designing splash pads. The shape (circular, for optimal use of the spray elements) and material (concrete, with a broomed finish to reduce slipping) are pretty set in stone, so to speak, so this next design phase will really focus on the secondary features and finishing touches.

The pad will be built on the site of the existing tennis courts at Maple Street Park, which are not in good shape even though they are frequently used.

Under the current plan, these older facilities will be removed to make way for the splash pad, but new tennis courts will be constructed just north of the current location in the 2021-2022 fiscal year — ones that will also be marked for pickle ball and other activities.

This plan also includes the construction of a covered seating area between the new splash pad and the existing playground, so parents can keep a weathered (and dry) eye on their kids regardless of which they happen to be playing in. The city hopes to have the new park finished and ready for business by Memorial Day weekend.

Finally, the city is looking into the best approach to expand the park’s two existing parking areas. With the additional traffic and visitors that the new splash pad and tennis courts are expected to draw, the city does not want Maple Street residents to lose access to street parking in front of their homes.

Robinson said councilors should expect a proposal to be presented to them by late winter or early spring.

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