“If the council will give me permission, I’m going to start tearing stuff out and have it built by next summer,” Holbrook City Manager Ray Alley said regarding construction of a splash park.
Alley met with a vendor on Sept. 11 regarding the feasibility of constructing a splash park in the empty lot behind city hall. He reported that if the city were to hire an outside company to build the park, it would be cost prohibitive at an estimated $300,000. Alley, however, estimates that city staff can do the work at a much lower cost of between $40,000 and $50,000.
“By doing it in-house and using our own supplies, I think we can do it,” he said. “It’s not too far out of reach.”
According to Alley, much of the prep work could be completed before winter, including installation of a 2,500-gallon tank that recycles the water through the park and construction of a small equipment building on the site.
To fund the project Alley is considering fundraising, such as asking businesses to sponsor splash features. He is also looking into the possibility of leasing the features, such as dump buckets, sprayers and whirlybirds. He explained that one company he has found leases interchangeable equipment on a two-year basis. Water features could be exchanged for new ones every two years under the program. Alley noted that not only would that keep the park interesting for children, it would eliminate the need to replace worn out parts.
The park would be smaller than most city parks at around 3,200 square feet, but Alley noted that the smaller size makes the project affordable. The empty lot behind city hall was formerly the site of the city swimming pool.
Splash parks typically consist of sprinklers, fountains, showers and sprayers, often shaped like animals, that allow children to play in the water without being submerged. Lifeguards and supervisory staff are not required for the park, and visitors may come and go in the same way as at a traditional playground park.
Many of the features of a splash pad park are similar to the spinning toy sprinklers available for home use, but are much larger and are built to withstand constant use. Other popular features include buckets at the top of towers that tip over when filled, mushroom or flower-shaped towers that drip or shower water, and hoops and arches that spray a fine mist. Concrete catch pads are usually placed at the base of the water features to collect the water and prevent it from pooling.
Alley noted that city council approval is necessary for construction of the park, and he plans to seek that permission at an upcoming meeting.
