Jess Roskelley Boulder
The Jess Roskelley Foundation approached the City of Spokane Parks & Recreation Department in late February 2020 to provide an artificial climbing structure in Riverfront Park, the City’s main public attraction and community center for outdoor recreation. Fortunately, the Parks Department had just started construction of the Ice Age Floods Playground and Recreation Area and featured multiple artificial climbing boulders and walls in its design. During the construction slow-down due to the pandemic, the Foundation worked with the Spokane Parks Department, to design and locate a place for the “Jess Roskelley Boulder”. An ideal spot at the east entrance to the park was selected, and the boulder was built and announced to the public with opening of the Ice Age Floods Playground in the summer of 2021.
As a brief history, Riverfront Park was created from railroad yards and an old warehouse district after Expo 74, Spokane’s environmental world’s fair. The highly-used park has gone through various changes over the years, but in 2014, the City Parks Department submitted a bond issue to the voters to build out a visionary Riverfront Park Master Plan developed by the Park Board and public input. Over 67% of the voters supported the bond issue. One of the key elements of the Master Plan was the Ice Age Floods Playground and Recreation area. The plan includes a vast amount of open space, a variety of playground equipment, a skateboard park, basketball courts and numerous strategically designed and placed artificial climbing walls and boulders for children and young adults. Bernardo/Wills Architects PC and the Parks Department worked with ID Sculptures, Inc. to create these structures to simulate the landforms created by the Lake Missoula ice age floods that carved out the dramatic basalt formations and coulees in Eastern Washington. The project serves a dual purpose: as an ice age flood science exhibit; and as a playground/recreation area.
Jess Roskelley Boulder Major SponsorsThe Great PNW Michael & Kendra Mauer Chris & Michelle Kopczynski Spokane Mountaineers Allison Roskelley Greenstone Corporation Rendle Family Foundation Lowa Boot, LLC Lukins & Annis Paul Fish J. Hutchins Corporation VF Foundation VF Outdoor, LLC Johnston-Fix Foundation Spokane Parks Department
Thank you to all our sponsors!
