Rood Bridge Park
| Rood Bridge Park | |
|---|---|
Pond at the park
|
|
| Type | Public, city |
| Location |
Hillsboro, Oregon United States |
| Coordinates | 45°29′30″N 122°57′05″W / 45.49167°N 122.95139°WCoordinates: 45°29′30″N 122°57′05″W / 45.49167°N 122.95139°W |
| Area | 60 acres (24 ha) |
| Created | 1999 |
| Operated by | Hillsboro Parks & Recreation Department |
| Status | open |
| Website | Rood Bridge Park |
Rood Bridge Park is a municipal park in southeast Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1999, the park encompasses 60 acres (24 ha) on the north bank of the Tualatin River at its confluence with Rock Creek. Rood Bridge is near Hillsboro High School and sits across the river from Meriwether National Golf Course. The park is the city’s largest, and contains tennis courts, a meeting facility, trails, a canoe launch, and a rhododendron garden among other features.
In 1992, the city bought 35 acres (14 ha) from the Dreiling family to begin assembly property for a park in southeast Hillsboro. The family had lived on the land in excess of 40 years before selling. An additional 25 acres (100,000 m2) was added from the nearby wastewater plant and from floodplain along Rock Creek and the Tualatin River. Hillsboro received almost $990,000 in funds from Metro in 1995 as its allocation of funds from a regional bond measure that paid for increasing greenspaces in the Portland metropolitan area. Part of these funds were designated for developing a park along the Tualatin River.
Flooding in February 1996 fell around 100 trees on the property and added other debris. In 1997, SOLV and Intel helped clear some of the debris at the park site. In May 1997, the city hired a contractor to build a boat launch for small craft, trails, and a parking lot at a cost of $771,000. Later that year volunteers from SOLV planted trees and other plants at the park site. In February 1998, the city worked with the Rotary Club to plan and pay for a building at the park to be used as meeting space. The $275,000 building was built beginning in the Spring of that year.
During construction of the park there were problems with the contractor CEMS Inc., with lawsuits filed by both sides. The city was ordered to pay in excess of $200,000 to resolve the dispute. When the park's initial construction was completed in 1999, the day-use park opened. A that time the park had the boat launch, tennis courts, trails (two miles worth, one mile (1.6 km) paved), two pedestrian bridges, a pond, picnic areas, parking, and the River House designed for accommodating meetings. Funds for the work came from Metro, private donations, the Tualatin Valley Water Quality Fund, and city funds. Total costs for construction of the initial phases of the park were about $1.3 million.
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