The park features the county’s first lighted multi-sport/rugby field, public art, inclusive play areas, water and sand play, a reservable picnic shelter, trails with view points of the Gaddis wetlands and Mount Hood, four lighted pickleball courts and a basketball/futsal court

VANCOUVER – On Saturday (June 6), community members gathered to celebrate the new Curtin Creek Community Park, decades after the park was first envisioned.

The park features the county’s first lighted multi-sport/rugby field, public art, inclusive play areas, water and sand play, a reservable picnic shelter, trails with view points of the Gaddis wetlands and Mount Hood, four lighted pickleball courts and a basketball/futsal court.

The celebration included demonstrations by Vancouver West Soccer and the Clark County Rugby Club, activities by Vancouver Fire, a bird walk hosted by the Vancouver Audubon, and speeches from Rep. Stephanie McClintock, Sen. Adrian Cortes, and Clark County Council Chair Sue Marshall. The speakers recognized those in attendance who made the park a reality, including the Curtin family who owned the land before it was purchased by the city of Vancouver in 1999, the construction contractor, consulting engineer, Public Works project managers, and former and present members of parks advisory groups. The ribbon was cut by Chair Marshall.

“Parks are critical, as we develop,” said Chair Marshall. “This will be what makes our communities thrive,” she said.

The property was purchased in 1999 via a partnership between the City of Vancouver and Clark County. Part of the property became the site of Vancouver Fire Station 7, and another portion was earmarked for a park.

Sen. Cortes remembered former parks advocate Florence Wager in his remarks, noting that they served on the parks advisory group that approved the purchase of the property in 1999. “She would have a big smile seeing how we finally developed this piece of property into a community jewel,” Cotes said.

In 2019, an extensive public engagement process asked neighbors, community organizations and sports groups to help develop a park plan for this property. Clark County Council adopted the park plan in 2021. Today’s ribbon-cutting celebrated the first phase of the park’s development, funded through a combination of funds from the Metropolitan Park District Levy, REET II (Real Estate Excise Taxes) and a $850,000 grant for park development from Washington State’s Recreation and Conservation Office.

Learn more about the park at clark.wa.gov/public-works/curtin-creek-community-park.

For information about road and park projects, closures, opportunities for community input, and more, residents can follow Public Works on X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook and Instagram and view information on Nextdoor. Residents can also visit clark.wa.gov/public-works to sign up for email notifications.

Go to clark.wa.gov/public-works/news to read this information in another language. Click the button in the top right of the page that says “Change language” next to a globe icon and choose your preferred language.

Information provided by Clark Co. WA Communications.