The Cooling Station — Shade, Misters & Cold Water
A 2,400 sq ft shaded cooling refuge with misters, couches, and cold filtered water.
$0 of $7,060 · 0% raised
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The Open Gift Standard
- Open to anyone who walks up — Walk in, flop down, drink water. Staff will wave you in from the street.
- Findable: 4:30 & Esplanade-adjacent frontage · Daily 10a–6p
- Marked with the standard placard on the playa
- Separate from camp-only space — The public cooling floor fronts the street; camp-only space is fenced behind it.
- Verified annually with photo evidence
The story
At 2pm the city needs one thing: somewhere cool that belongs to everyone. The Cooling Station is 2,400 square feet of heavy sail shade over couches, misting lines, and a cold-water bar staffed all day. We've run it for six years and rebuilt it after every windstorm. The misting pump and the water chiller are the two machines that turn shade into actual relief, and both are at end of life. This budget replaces them and doubles the shaded footprint on the street side.
Dust, weather & logistics
Wind is the enemy. We over-spec anchors with four-foot deadmen and drop the sails above 40 mph. If the new pump fails we fall back to shade and water only — which is still the point. Our lead rigger is a professional arborist with six playa builds behind her.
The budget — every line public
1 · Shade sails (2,400 sq ft) & rigging hardware — $4,200
vendor: SailShade Co. · public benefit 100%
2 · High-pressure misting pump & lines — $1,600
vendor: CoolFlow Systems · public benefit 100%
3 · Water chiller & filtration for public water bar — $1,400
vendor: ClearSpring Equipment · public benefit 90% · qualifies with conditions · fundable $1,260
Give your time
Mist & water crew
Keep the misters running and the water bar stocked. · Daily 10a–2p or 2p–6p · 8 spots
Updates
Sail fabric chosen
September 15, 2026
We went with the heavier sail fabric after last year's shredding. The misting pump bench-tests this weekend.
Milestones
- Approved and listed September 5, 2026
- Building coming
- Delivered on the playa coming
- Verified with photos coming
Presented by
Low Pressure Collective
Reno, NV · 6 years on playa
Builders of big shade and slow afternoons, rebuilt after every windstorm.