Recreation Roundup: by John Miles, Parks & Rec Commission chair

Good news for Jubilee Park. Construction of the splash pad has been scheduled and will start right after Labor Day! The City Council awarded the spray pad contract to Harvey’s Construction, a local contractor. Construction is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, Sept. 5.
Don’t miss the Parks & Recreation Commission “GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY” on Saturday, Sept. 2 at 11 a.m. during the Lion’s Club Labor Day Festival. At the ceremony there will be displays of pictures that include the ADA equipment that is being installed at the playground and pictures of the spray pad features and layout. In addition, the boundary of the spray pad will be marked on the grass so those attending will have a visual idea of the size and location of the pad.
Concurrent with the construction of the spray pad, the city crew will be working to expand the south end of the park playground about 25 feet. This is where the 3 new ADA compliant play features will be installed – a double swing, teeter totter and merry-go-round! The new playground addition will also include a Rubberbond surface coating that will provide a safe ground cushion for protection from falls and for easy maneuvering for walkers and wheelchairs. The rest of the playground will receive additional engineered fiber material which will serve as a safety measure until the time that the Rubberbond coating can be placed over the entire playground surface.
We would like to remind everyone that this will be a construction zone, and the playground will be closed during this process. Help keep children out of the area for their safety and allow the workers to do their jobs.
The Parks and Recreation Commission continues to work on other projects such as developing a master layout for future development of Jubilee Park and a Master Plan for Old Stage Park. Focus right now will be on obtaining new ADA compliant park restrooms for Jubilee Park.
The Parks Commission is always looking for new members with different perspectives to add to the commission. The commission meets once a month on the first Thursday evening of the month at 7 p.m. One aspect we are missing is the voice of the youth. A commission position is reserved for a high school age individual. Anyone in that age group who is interested should contact the Park Commission at cjparkcommission@cavejunctionoregon.us.