Cypress Creek Renewables and City of Goldendale celebrate over $75,000 in upgrades to Ekone Park and Little Klickitat River Park with ribbon cutting event

October 15, 2024

Goldendale, WA, October 15, 2024 – Goldendale has received a more than $75,000 investment in city park improvements through donations made by solar developer Cypress Creek Renewables and a match made by the city.

A red ribbon is cut by large scissors in front of a playground as people look on — Goldendale residents Joe Cuevas and Filiberto Ontiveros hold the ribbon as Goldendale Mayor Dave Jones does the ribbon cutting honors to celebrate the newly installed playground equipment at Ekone Park.

The improvements were celebrated with a ribbon cutting event at Ekone Park for new inclusive playground equipment on Oct. 8, 2024. Representatives from Cypress Creek Renewables (Cypress Creek); Dave Jones, Mayor of Goldendale; Teja Finch, Executive Director of the Goldendale Chamber of Commerce and Klickitat County residents all attended the event which also featured a tour of recent additions throughout Goldendale’s recreational areas including solar lights and little league bleachers.

“This new inclusive playground equipment at Ekone Park has been a needed addition to our most visited city park,” said Goldendale Mayor Dave Jones. “Thanks to the Goldendale City Council, Cypress Creek Renewables, the City of Goldendale Public Works Department, and the local families who provided the needed input, we now have playground equipment that will be enjoyed by children of all abilities.”

In early 2024, Cypress Creek and the City of Goldendale initiated a funding partnership for the purchase and installation of playground equipment at Ekone Park, with Cypress Creek donating $30,000 and the Goldendale City Council matching that contribution. Cypress Creek made an additional donation for solar lights at Little Klickitat River Park as well as several sets of bleachers for Goldendale Little League Park. In total, the company contributed approximately $45,000 towards the parks’ upgrades.

A group of people with a child in a wheelchair pose surrounded by playground equipment — Cypress Creek representatives Lauren Altick and John Hanks, Goldendale Mayor Dave Jones, and Filiberto Ontiveros and his son, Junhyo Ontiveros, enjoy one of the new playground equipment additions at Ekone Park.

“We are so excited to be part of bringing new equipment to Goldendale parks that will benefit all residents,” said Lauren Altick, Cypress Creek Renewables Manager of External Affairs. “We greatly appreciate the input from the community members who have guided our community giving decisions and look forward to continued partnerships throughout Klickitat County.”

Three men and one woman pose in a line in a park — Cypress Creek Director John Hanks and Goldendale Mayor Dave Jones pose with Joe and Belinda Cuevas, one of the families who helped select the inclusive playground equipment for Ekone Park.

About Cypress Creek Energy

Cypress Creek Energy is a U.S. independent power producer and developer of energy infrastructure designed to meet the nation’s rapidly growing demand for reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable electricity. Built on more than a decade of experience developing, financing, owning, and operating energy assets, the company delivers integrated solar, storage, and firm capacity solutions that serve utilities, communities, and large-load customers.

Cypress Creek believes energy infrastructure should create lasting value beyond generating affordable, sustainable electricity. Through responsible development, long-term ownership, and meaningful community partnerships, the company is committed to strengthening the places where it lives, works, and builds. Since inception, Cypress Creek has commercialized 19 GW of projects and today has more than 6.8 GW of assets operating or under construction, along with a 19 GW development pipeline. Through Cypress Creek Solutions, its in-house operations and maintenance platform, their experienced team manages more than 8.6 GW of energy assets for both Cypress Creek and third-party owners across 24 states.