Hollinshead Park, donated to the Bend Park & Recreation District 35 years ago by the Hollinshead family, is set to undergo accessibility improvements to the off-leash dog area and walking paths.

The project is set to be completed in 2026.

The 16-acre park is in northeast Bend and has a community garden, picnic areas, off-leash dog area and historical features such as the Hollinshead Barn and museum house.

The off-leash dog area will be fenced in; the parking lot will be renovated to make it easier to use; pathways will be made compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act around the Hollinshead event barn, and a new restroom will be built. The park district has allocated $1.1 million for the project.

Signs will be installed along the paved paths to share the history of the park. Officials are also creating a maintenance report of the historical features at Hollinshead Park, said Ian Isaacson, project manager.

“We won’t be adding additional parking. We’ll be maintaining the same number of spaces. It’ll just be reconfigured and a lot easier for folks to be able to use,” said Isaacson. “There’s two big ponderosas in the middle of that parking lot, so we’re trying to give them more breathing room as well.”

Public comment opened in February, and the park district is still soliciting feedback through an online survey and comments submitted online and through email.

Isaacson, who is also the landscape architect for the Hollinshead project, said the designs were released to the public in May. The park district held an open house at the park to share details and receive feedback that same month.

“We’re early in the design of this process,” he said. “General public sentiment thus far has been mostly positive for many elements of this project.”

The improvement project began because the park requires further accessibility and there have been changes in how people use the park in the past several years.

“When the property was donated to the park district, there was a big emphasis on wanting to promote passive recreation and trails and things like that,” Isaacson said. “We’re seen a huge increase in use in the park. It’s a huge balancing act with any project that we do, trying to thread that needle as best we can for as many folks as possible.”

Isaacson hopes, with the improvements, the park becomes a more welcoming space for more people.

“With the park district, that’s a goal we try to hit on every single project,” he said. “This is our opportunity at Hollinshead to give it a much-needed facelift and to make it more welcoming for more folks.”

Isaacson will present the designs, public outreach and feedback to the park district’s board at its Tuesday meeting, and will take its feedback into account when moving forward.

The community garden, area trails and canal will not be impacted by the project and will remain open throughout.