Riverfront Park in Hermiston had been without a playground for the past several years due to massive flooding of the Umatilla River in 2019 and 2020.
That all changed this week as construction of the playground wrapped up, bringing a conclusion to the FEMA-funded restoration project.
The project involved more than putting in a new playground. In order to prevent future issues with flooding at the park, work crews moved the parking lot and the playground area to a central location in the park and out of the flood plain.
The project also restored the walking trail in the park which connects to the nearby Oxbow Trail. The total cost of the project was $250,000, primarily funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“Riverfront Park has been one of the city’s most popular recreational areas because of its view of the Umatilla River, open spaces for play, and 3/4-mile loop path that connects to the city’s walking trail system,” said Parks & Recreation Director Brandon Artz. “We’re excited to reopen the playground to give families a place to enjoy time outdoors together.”
The two-level “lookout tower” adventure-themed playground to the south of the parking lot includes multiple slides, swings, and climbing options and features a view of the river from the second level.
Designed in alignment with the floodplain, the park not only safeguards surrounding structures but also offers waterfront access.
With the new configuration of the park, future flooding is not expected to significantly damage the parking lot or playground. Additional parking is available along the side of SW 23rd Street.
Riverfront is one of 15 parks in Hermiston maintained by the Parks & Recreation Department. The city maintains more than 100 acres of recreational land for the enjoyment of the community and has 50 acres planned for future development. Learn more at https://www.hermiston.or.us/parksrec.
Too bad all that $ goes to give all the lazy homeless worthless non taxpayers nice parks to pollute in our city which stops everyone that pays high property taxes from being able to enjoy our well kept parks So sad sick and wrong