On Sept. 21, over 1,000 Cottage Grove Community members attended the 23^rd annual Public Works and Parks Open House making this event a huge success and a moment of community pride for Cottage Grove as a whole.

Attendees drove a front-end loader, played in a giant sand pile, took a hayride around the property, and received free face painting and balloon animals. They were also able to learn from vendors that Public Works and Parks often partner with. This year these included the 49ers, Basic Needs Inc. of So Wash Co., CG Bike Park, Connexus Energy, DNR Fisheries, ParkRun, Pineridge Garden Club, Tennis Sanitation, as well as Wash Co Environmental Center, Food Scraps Recycling, Conservation and Public Works.

Parks and Recreation Director Zac Docktor expressed, "I think our staff has as much fun bringing this event to the public as the public has attending.  We are a prideful bunch who takes care of the community with the resources given to us, so we are very happy when folks come out to see and experience all we do to make Cottage Grove a better place to live."

Cottage Grove is home to more than 1,500 acres of park land, 35 neighborhood parks, and nearly 100 miles of trails and sidewalks. Public Works provides and maintains services that support the parks, public health and personal safety, including snow removal, forestry, street maintenance and much more for the City of Cottage Grove.