Grant will go toward playground equipment at Washougal park

The Parks Foundation of Clark County has given Washougal a grant worth nearly $24,000 to pay for new equipment at Hartwood Park.

The city will use the money on playground climbing structures at the nearly 8-acre park, which is the city’s newest.

Installation of the playground equipment, which will take place in phases, will be among the first efforts to fully develop the park.

The city also plans to plant an orchard at Hartwood Park later in the year and expand its trail system, said Suzanne Grover, Washougal’s parks department manager.

Washougal purchased the parkland in 2011 from the property’s previous owner, Hartwood Homes, for $375,000.

The park, which features a walking trail, abuts about 33 acres of land owned by the city.

Grover said the 2008 collapse in the real estate market helped the city acquire the land.

“It might have been a different story if the economy had been different,” she said.