Work continues on Baker City’s first splash pad, and Charline Simmons, who is spearheading the project, hopes it will be ready to cool people visiting Central Park by August.

The site is at the northwest corner of the park, which is beside the Powder River between Washington and Valley avenues.

Workers have removed the sod where the splash pad will be built, and the city has connected water lines, Simmons said.

The sod was taken to Mount Hope Cemetery to repair areas damaged by ground squirrels and for other maintenance.

Simmons, who has been raising money for the $400,000 project since 2019, is excited about the tangible progress after years of planning.

“There’s so much going on,” she said. “June, they’ll start running all the water pipe and stuff for that.”

The city is preparing to order benches and pergolas — canopy-like structures that provide shade — from Natural Structures in Baker City.

They are ordering three benches and pergolas for now, but Simmons said the goal is five of each. She wants to ensure she has enough funding for the project first. The money will come from fundraising, not from the city, she said.

She has talked with many local business honors regarding contributions, and has been receiving positive feedback on the project from the community.

Simmons is not sure if she will need to do another fundraiser for the project.

“It’s hard, because people say, ‘do you have enough money?’ I think so,” Simmons said. “But when you have so many contractors donating all or part of what they’re doing, it’s hard to say if I have enough or not. Because it’s a $400,000 project but that includes them donating, so, I don’t know. I’m hoping.”

Timing depends in part on the contractors who are volunteering their labor, Simmons said.

“They have to make a living also, so it’s kind of going by their schedule like for the excavation,” she said.

She is still cashing in cans and bottles to raise money for a grand opening at the splash pad. She hopes to have free hot dogs for the event.

“It will all work out,” Simmons said. “I have faith. It’s all going to come together and in August we will have a big party and I will hand it off to the city.”

She is hoping to raise enough money to set aside to help the city with maintenance of the splash pad.

Simmons is happy to have worked on this project.

“Kids in Baker need something fun to go do, because we really do have anything besides the park. We’ve got the skate park, but not everybody skates,” Simmons said.