Independence City Council agrees to move forward on early planning for splash pad

The Independence City Council heard a presentation on the specifics of building and maintaining a possible splash pad in the city at their meeting on Monday.

The presentation was based on research by two council members, Carol Franzen and Greg Steffen, and Arron Cope of the city’s parks and recreation department. Following the presentation, mayor Chris Reinersman and the council agreed to move forward on early planning and engineering design work for a splash pad, which will help the city apply for a $250,000 grant aimed at offsetting construction expenses.

“We’ve approved all these houses over the years and subdivisions, and it’s incumbent upon us to provide recreational facilities for the people that we’ve allowed to move here,” Steffen said. “I think the splash pad would be an outstanding feature and would be very popular in the city.”

The council voted to preliminarily set aside some funds for a splash pad when they passed the city budget last month. Reinersman had broached the topic in May, where he estimated the cost of building a splash pad to be about $500,000.

He recommended splitting the funding over a three-year period, beginning in the previous fiscal year, which just ended in June, and continuing over this and the next fiscal year. Although the council voted to set aside funds in June, the set aside isn’t binding, so the money can be redirected to other parts of the budget down the line if the council decides not to pursue the project in the end.

Many discussions around the possibility of a splash pad project it to appear at Memorial Park. Franzen, Steffen, and Cope visited several splash pads in the region and state—namely in Wilder, Walton and Lexington—to see how those cities managed their facilities and to get a better idea of the potential operating costs.

Franzen, who presented the group’s findings, recommended using a facility that recirculates water from a dedicated tank rather than fresh water from a natural source like a river or well. She argued it would be easier to manage in terms of sanitation and less expensive to build.

Recirculating water systems must be regularly treated with chlorine and other sanitizing chemicals. Chemical checks must be performed three times a day.

The tank would also need to have an ultraviolet disinfecting light, and logs for chemical checks would need to be submitted to the Northern Kentucky Health Department regularly.

Chemical adjustments would likewise need to be made in the event of rain, as rainwater can dilute the chemicals in the tank. Moreover, an on-site phone would need to be installed in case of emergencies.

Finally, a splash pad would need to be staffed by someone on call who could respond in the event of a problem. Sanitation incidents (i.e. vomit, blood or human waste getting into the tank) would require the on-call worker to close the pad and run necessary sanitation procedures. The on-call person could also handle other problems as they occur.

Franzen and Steffen also recommended considering parking and pedestrian infrastructure, bathroom locations and the possibility of fencing, which many council members agreed was warranted. Moreover, Memorial Park—if that’s where the splash pad ends up—uses tire mulch on the neighboring playground, fragments of which could potentially clog up the filtration system.

Franzen noted that both Wilder and Walton have nearby park shelters that they rent out for events, such as children’s birthday parties. The construction of similar shelters near Independence’s pad could potentially offset operating expenses by bringing in additional revenue for the city.

The cost for typical operations of the splash pad in Wilder per year is about $6,000, according to Franzen’s estimates. This figure did not include equipment breaking down and other unexpected problems. This gave the council a rough estimate of what they might expect, although the final operating cost to the city will depend on the splash pad’s location, size and other variables.

Still, both Steffen and Franzen expressed surprise by what they heard from other cities regarding operating costs.

“It’s not that expensive to maintain,” Steffen said.

Franzen showed some diagrams of possible designs she got from Lexington, each with an attached budget range for the price of parts. Franzen said to expect roughly double the figure in the diagrams for everything: parts, utilities, and construction. The diagrams and budget ranges are displayed below.

“The more I talked to people, the more I thought about it, I think the investment would be a good investment,” Franzen said. “I think that it would be a crown jewel in our park.”

Cope said that splash pads were good because they were inclusive: Pretty much everyone can use them.

“Children in wheelchairs, children of all ability are able to use splash pads,” Cope said, “and from toddlers to seniors. So it’s a very inclusive addition to our parks.”

Franzen’s presentation was followed by a discussion about sanitation, logistics, and other contingencies, especially regarding who would serve as the on-call worker and how a pad might affect parking at Memorial Park.

No official action was taken at the meeting, but the mayor recommended moving forward on the grant application and early engineering work. The council will likely continue discussion on the subject in the coming months.

The next meeting of the Independence City Council will take place on Monday, Aug. 5 beginning at 7 p.m. at the Independence City Building on Madison Pike.