Splash pads in two city parks should be installed early next spring.

One of the final pieces of the puzzle was a soil analysis of Jackson-Taylor Park on Washington Street to make sure the park’s soil can handle a splash pad. According to a Splash Pad Site Selection Report published in 2019, Jackson-Taylor Park was noted as not having the proper soil conditions. The report also said the park lacked the necessary water lines for a splash pad and did not have adequate restrooms.

It turns out a little additional work can make the site suitable for a splash pad, according to Mark Roetzer, interim city public works director.

“With a minimum amount of adjusted construction, basically it’s a viable site,” Roetzer said. “We can use it. So rather than digging a foot down, they recommend we dig 2.5 feet down and place a structural grid at the bottom of that, and then do some additional drainage work to make sure water stays away from underneath that stucture that we build. In the grand scheme of that project it’s not a large extra cost.”

Work could have begun in October, according to Roetzer, but city officials are trying to get on the splash pad company’s schedule for April so there are no issues with pouring concrete in the unpredictable fall weather. The city is responsible for preparing the site, Roetzer said, and then the installer will come and install all the actual piping for the splash pads. That work could have begun at Allen Park in October, but not until spring for Jackson-Taylor Park because the soil analysis was completed so late.

“We decided it was in the best interest of the project to do that in the spring, get on their schedule early in the spring rather than do that late and either leave it exposed or pour a large pad in November,” Roetzer said.

Splash pads in city parks have been on the agenda since 2019, when former Mayor Sam Teresi proposed the idea. They were then included in original American Rescue Plan Act funding plans by Mayor Eddie Sundquist, with final approval on the costs coming in March. There had been a delay after the project was formally approved by the council because necessary equipment was on back order. That, too, has been resolved.

“We’ll try to get both sites while they’re here with the installer,” Sundquist said. “We also received all of the equipment not too long ago, a couple of weeks ago, that was on back order. The equipment is in house.”