City of El Paso Capital Improvement Department
- community
- El Paso, Texas
Project Scope
6,226 SF building, 2-acre site
Construction Type
New
Project Delivery Method
CMAR (Dantex Construction)
Parkhill was selected by the City of El Paso to design three new aquatic facilities; Camp Cohen, Chapoteo, and Lost Kingdom. Each site incorporates distinct design features that celebrate the culture of the local neighborhoods. Camp Cohen Water Park, the first one to open, is a camp-themed family aquatic facility in Northeast El Paso, also known as District 4. All the water parks feature water slides, leisure pools with playground structures and current channels, lap pools with climbing walls, and zero-entry toddler pools. The administration buildings house the ticket offices, lifeguard and staff areas, first aid room, men’s and women’s bathrooms with showers, family restrooms, concessions with a full kitchen, janitorial room, storage, electrical and mechanical rooms. Camp Cohen Water Park is a part of the Reimagining Cohen effort to revitalize the Cohen area. The project was intricate and included many camp-themed features. For example, the design of the administration building conforms to a modern cabin with a wood rain-screen veneer with Corten steel and metal panel accents. The water park details are also reminiscent of camping, with themed flags atop the rock-columned entry area, canoe-shaped signage, decorative barrels, wild animal prints around the deck areas, and custom camp-designed themed slide tower and play structures. Amenities include a satellite grille, shaded eating area, lockers, shaded cabanas with lounge furniture, and rentable party cabanas.
The site for “Lost Paradise” is in District 2 in Central El Paso and is located west of Ross Middle School. This park has a Mayan history theme. Some themed features include fire bowls at the main entry, a sandblasted concrete Mayan calendar surrounded by stone columns, Mayan architectural elements on the building, slides that resemble snakes, and a family slide.
“Chapoteo,” which means “splash” in Spanish, was designed with a fiesta theme for District 7. It will offer a unique experience based on celebrating the community culture of the Mission Valley. It will feature string lights, a Mexican fountain, sandblasted Papel Picado flags on the hardscape, custom signage, a bell tower, and Mexican lantern light fixtures on the building for a fun fiesta ambiance.
“It’s a great place; it’s brand new; it’s well designed; it has something for everybody in the family.” - District 4 City Representative Joe Molinar
Services Provided
Master planning, full A/E design