The Splash Pad in Fadear Park is one step closer to being built after Monday nights council meeting.
District of Barriere council approved the recommendation from staff, “That council direct staff to issue an RFP (Request For Proposals) for the materials and installation of a splash pad in Lot 36, Plan 1746 of Fadear Park.”
Splash Pad Committee chair Tasha Buchanan says, “I’m smiling, and so is our Splash Pad Community Committee. We are really excited to be moving forward.”
Buchanan says although the funds raised have not reached the committee’s original target for the project, they now have enough to build a revised splash pad that will serve the community well.
Originally, the District of Barriere submitted a grant application to The Canadian Heritage Fund to create the splash pad as a municipal project. But unfortunately they were not successful in being awarded a grant.
However, the Splash Pad Community Committee were not deterred and continued on in their fundraising to make the project a reality.
The Splash in the Past project continued to be supported by much of the community. To date, the funds raised by the efforts of the community by way of fundraisers (apple pie sales, penny drives, silent auctions, raffle, Family Fun Nights, Moonlight Movie, and personal donations) has come to a total of $29,676.
The project has also received two large sponsorships: $40,000 from Kamloops - North Thompson MLA Terry Lake, and $150,000 benchmarked by the Lower North Thompson Community Forest Society for the construction. In addition, over the years various individuals and businesses have voiced their intent to volunteer services and/or products at either no charge or at a reduced rate.
Buchanan says, “This means that the project has roughly $220,000 of funds raised that are slated solely for the purpose of the installation of a splash pad in the District of Barriere. None of this money comes from tax revenue – it is all money that has been donated to the splash pad.”
Dwight Love, a semi-retired engineer and consultant for an international pool/waterpark installation company, has also reconfirmed the volunteering of his services (at no cost) in regards to the engineering of Barriere‘s splash pad project.
A report to council on Monday night contained the following information: “The previous cost estimate for the Splash in the Past project was over $400,000 with the largest portion of the cost being required for a recirculation system. Much like lowflow plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems, advances have been made in the Splash Pad world as well. As reported by the CA0 at the last regular council meeting, due to the amount of water that will be conserved through irrigation of the downtown parks with reclaimed water over the summer months and the reduced water use, a new design has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Borrill. The resulting water would be put to ground in shallow infiltrators introducing more irrigation to the area in the proximity of the pad. The water system will be engineer-designed and plumbed to allow a recirculation system to be introduced at some point in the future. ...In inquiring with other municipalities regarding splash pads that they have installed within the past few years, it was found that roughly 90-95 per cent of them are flow through designs due to the low flow spray nozzles, user activation requirement and other water conservation features incorporated into their designs. The maintenance costs of a recirculation system is already quite minimal, but is even further reduced with a flow-through system. Maintenance costs will be similar to the costs to maintain an irrigation system plus periodic filter cleanings and pre-opening pressure washings which can be completed by our seasonal parks staff.
“In order to determine a cost estimate for a flow through splash pad, staff have been working with two of the larger spray park vendors who construct in B.C. most frequently.”
Buchanan says that depending on the successful contract bidder’s schedule, construction of the splash pad could begin this year, and she has full confidence the funds raised are sufficient to construct the splash pad in its entirety. She also notes the expected maintenance costs of the revised project will be for scheduled inspections and regular maintenance that can be carried out by Barriere parks staff, such as pressure washing, cleaning drains, and winterizing.