New dock installed in Cook Family Park

Published 5:00 pm Monday, July 28, 2025

A new boat dock to allow kayakers, canoers and paddleboarders access to the Tualatin river was installed June 4 in Cook Family Park.

The new metal L-shaped ramp and accompanying dock replace a well-worn wooden dock.

“It has seen a lot of use, and we’ve received positive feedback from community members,” Jessica Love, Tigard Public Works Department spokesperson, said of the new installation.

Last August, when the new dock was going out to bid, its estimated cost was $440,700.

The old dock was removed last fall, but boaters still had access to the river via a concrete boat ramp already in place at the park.

The city is now waiting to hear back on whether it will receive a state grant to fund a second phase of the dock project, which would add a hard-surface pathway, a 110-foot-long-by-7-foot-wide gangway and an inclusive dock to allow access to aid those with physical limitations.

“If the second phase is funded, construction would begin in the summer of 2026,” Love said.

Both the concrete drive-in boat ramp and the dock areas were packed Monday, July 28, by those hoping to take a dip in or enter the Tualatin River in nonmotorized watercraft.

They included Tigard resident Ariel Cachero and her dog, Melody, who pushed off into the water via the concrete ramp as three other people walked to the end of the dock to check it out.

Up in the parking lot, 15-year Tigard resident John Connell said he and his daughter were preparing to head into the Tualatin River as well, noting that the dock and ramp areas of the park have been getting busier over the last several years.

“I was the only person on the river before COVID. Now it’s like everybody’s down here,” said Connell,  who visits the park daily.

Connell said he is happy the city replaced the old wooden structure, which he described as “tilted” and “dangerous,” adding that he was surprised the dock wasn’t replaced sooner.

Still, he said it was the first time he brought down both his kayak and pontoon boat since the dock was replaced, saying he had plans to have some fun on the river.