Bicentennial Park is a neighborhood park in Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon. Opened in 1976, it is named for the United States’ Bicentennial and also honors the city’s one-hundredth year as a city. Located at northeast 25th Avenue and Parkwood, the park covers about and includes a water reservoir, a fire station, a playground, and a soccer field among other amenities.HistoryBy 1962 the city had purchased a 6.2-acre plot of land between northeast 24th and 25th streets at Parkwood to use in part for a water reservoir. In December 1962, the roof collapsed on the water tower while workers were attempting to complete the dome, killing five people. The Hillsboro Utilities Commission gave the land where the tower was located to the parks department to build a park at the site in 1975.On June 26, 1976, Hillsboro’s planning commission approved adding a temporary fire station on one-third of an acre of land at 25th Avenue and Parkwood, where a park would also be located. Neighbors protested the decision due to concerns over noise and safety, and the city postponed a final decision on adding the fire station to the planned 4.4acres park. The city approved both the park and the temporary fire station in October 1976. The temporary fire station then opened in 1977.That year Hillsboro received a grant from the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission in the amount of $2,500 for development of a soccer field; the city matched the grant with city funds to further develop the park. Plans called for a soccer field, trails, and a playground, in addition to the fire station and water reservoir on the park grounds.
