24 April 2025

A major step forward in revitalizing one of the community’s parks has taken place when the Coos Bay-North Bend Rotary Club presented the completed draft of the Airport Heights Park Master Plan to the Coos County Airport District (CCAD) Board of Commissioners. The board voted unanimously to approve the plan, paving the way for the next phase of the park’s redevelopment.

The master plan was developed by Portland-based landscape architecture firm Groundworkshop, which was hired by the Rotary Club to lead the planning process and gather public input. Several community meetings and a public survey helped shape the vision for the 13-acre park, located just east of the Southwest Oregon Regional Airport.

The result is a thoughtfully designed destination park that includes a wide range of features aimed at serving residents of all ages. Key elements in the plan include:

• A playground with age-appropriate equipment for young children through pre-teens
• A pump track for bikes and scooters
• A teen and adult activity center for recreation and gathering
• Renovated baseball fields
• Visual enhancements throughout the park to improve aesthetics and safety
• Off-street parking and accessible pathways
• Restroom facilities and improved infrastructure

"Coos Bay North Bend Rotary sees this project as a powerful investment in the well-being of our community; enhancing outdoor space, creating inclusive opportunities, and building a park that truly reflects the needs and wants of the community," says Rotary Park Project Chair and CCAD Park Steering Committee Chair Samantha Oswald. "The CCAD board’s adoption of the Airport Heights Park Master Plan is a major milestone that brings our vision one step closer to reality. This approval lays the groundwork for pursuing grants, engaging donors, and moving into the development phases."

The Rotary Club first partnered with the Coos County Airport District in 2023, when the two entities signed a Memorandum of Understanding to begin working together to revitalize the aging park, which has served the area for over 60 years.