Originally expected at last night’s meeting, the Canby Parks and Recreation Advisory Board’s recommendation for the location of the city’s new splash pad has been pushed out a couple weeks, and they want the public to come weigh in.
The board has set a public meeting for 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 29, at Canby City Council Chambers on NE 2nd Avenue to discuss the location of the water feature, which is likely to have ripple effects on the city’s entire parks system. Maintenance staff and outside experts will be on hand to share information and answer questions, and light refreshments will be available.
Although the board did not present its recommendation at last night’s meeting, it did submit a memo to the council containing a list of the perceived pros and cons of placing the splash pad in one of three parks considered favorites for the amenity: Maple Street Park, Wait Park and Legacy Park. Of the three, Maple Street was considered to have the most “pros” and the fewest “cons.”
| Maple Street Park | Wait Park | Legacy Park | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PROS | CONS | PROS | CONS | PROS | CONS |
| Utilities | Sports events | Downtown | Requires redo of park layout | Sunny | Utilities |
| Grandfathered water | Limited shade | Utilities | Lack of parking | Snack bar | Parking |
| Parking | Grandfathered water | Trees/shade | Restrooms | No shade | |
| Restrooms | Restrooms | Events | Deep lot | ||
| Covered picnic area | Events | ||||
| Multiple locations | |||||
| Potential snack bar | |||||
| Sunny | |||||
| Added use w/Canby Community ed | |||||
| Sports events | |||||
The board said they also considered alternative locations, including the Canby Swim Center, Ackerman Center, the old Canby Public Library and a site near the new library. The memo says all these locations were “dropped for various reasons,” but didn’t elaborate further.
After hearing public comment on Jan. 29, the board will make a recommendation to the City Council, who are responsible for the final decision. According to the memo, the parks board would like to see the project “fast tracked,” such that the new splash pad could be in use as early as this summer, if possible.