COTTAGE GROVE – With a heat advisory in full effect and temperatures reaching triple digits in parts of the Southern Willamette Valley, if a way to stay cool is even a mild priority, Bohemia Park has got you covered — in water.
The new splash pad at Bohemia Park officially had a ceremonial ribbon cutting earlier this week.
A few dozen adults and a handful of kids gathered around the railroad crossing replica that is the new splash pad. Faye Stewart, public works director, opened the ceremony on Monday, describing what used to sit at the park many years ago.
A sawmill occupied the area, then a railroad yard, before it was Bohemia Park.
“It’s a replica of what was originally here back in the early days of the railroad,” Stewart said. “The overall purpose of the front entry was to capture people’s attention and draw them over to Bohemia Park.”
The splash pad has crossing signs that spray water, two pivoting water blasters, a water tower, and various pressurized fountains. Stewart pointed out rock pillars encircling the pad with historical interpretations capturing specific aspects of history from the area, including mining, railroading, lumbering, farming, and recreation.
Bohemia Park has seen a lot of recent revitalization from the city’s Entry Plaza Project. According to Stewart, the project cost was $1.7 million. The money came from an EDA grant for $1,097,807.00, a Local Government Grant Program from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department for $346,500, and the remaining $255,693 was from local grants, donations, and the City.
Conveniently located behind the splash pad is a restroom facility. The little building was specifically designed to accommodate a mural. Heather Endicott has been working on the painting of a Blue Goose passenger train – another ode to the area’s past-in between her dance schedule.
“The community feedback and just goodwill have been phenomenal,” Endicott said. “People are just so appreciative and kind and very supportive.”
The splash pad came into fruition from local park users in the surrounding area who wanted the city to have one for children to play in, according to Stewart. The project took less than a year to be up and running. Workers broke ground on June 17, 2024, and construction was completed on February 28 of this year.
The new attraction was tested on June 6, and according to Stewart, “A young little lad and his mom and older sister were here, and he immediately flipped off his shoes and started playing in the water … When I left to go home, the splash pad must have had 30 kids playing. It was just absolutely incredible,” he said.
Much like that day, when water spewed from small holes in the ground, kiddos flocked to run through it. Squeals and laughter filled the park.
The water sprays out on about a 10-minute timer activated by the palm of a hand. The fountains are rarely off when kids are playing at the pad, though.
Like a scene from a summer-themed movie, Tim Eide, A.K.A. the town’s newest ice cream man, pedalled by on his mobile cart while a classic ice cream song twinkled from his speaker. Eide offered free ice cream to the kiddos at the pad from his Cone Heads shop.
The Bohemia Park Splash Pad will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on days when the temperature reaches 70 degrees or higher. Once temperatures dip below 70 degrees regularly, the splash pad will be winterized. Water features will be removed, and plates will be installed. This will allow the site to be utilized for other uses during the off-season.
