A big celebration of the official opening of what is for now called Confluence Park, took place Wednesday night, but before that, Park Board members took a private tour with parks and recreation director Anne McGill and parks manager Brian Berntsen to get a first hand look at what is and what is to be in Issaquah parks.

“It took 20 years to bring this all together,” said McGill of Confluence Park. The park, 15.5 acres, off Rainier Boulevard,  behind Darigold, was pieced together by four property acquisitions by the city, and includes the confluence of the East Fork Issaquah Creek and Issaquah Creek, which flow north into Lake Sammamish.

The park includes a parcel across the main stem of Issaquah Creek. The parks department hopes eventually to have a foot bridge to connect to that piece.

Of the $10 million parks bond that voters will decide on in November, $900,000 is destined for further improvements to Confluence Park.

This is a passive park – no football, soccer or baseball. And even though I-90 isn’t far away, a person hears nothing but maybe some ducks playing in the water.

There are two old homes on the property, which the parks department wants to re-purpose into classrooms or meeting space. With an area set aside for a p-patch, and irrigation ready to go, McGill floated the idea of cooking classes in the buildings, art classes – even wedding receptions. One of the homes is in the creek’s flood zone, so it will have to be moved.

A new picnic shelter was designed to look exactly like a barn that once stood there.

Park board members also toured Central Park in the Issaquah Highlands. If the bond passes, a third field will get artificial turf and lighting installed to help meet the needs of various sports leagues vying for field time.

Concerns from homeowners above the field about lighting should be alleviated because the new lights would have a very sharp cutoff, shining directly onto the field and not beyond, parks officials said.

Artificial turf can last 12 to 15 years, Berntsen said. The field would have to be fenced, as are the other fields with artificial turf, to keep dogs off.

Field four, which overlooks the city of Issaquah and beyond, is the field with the most spectacular view, but there are no plans for it in this bond. A total of $1.55 million will be used for the improvements to field one.