The idea of a splash pad in Independence, which bloomed roughly a year ago, is still making progress.
The Independence City Council provided an update on the project at its meeting on June 2. The city initially estimated $500,000 for the project in May 2024; however, the original site in Memorial Park proposed is not going to work, and the new location in the park will require site work.
This brings the latest cost estimates to $1.1 million.
In May 2024, Independence Mayor Chris Reinersman asked the council to consider setting aside funds to build a splash pad at Memorial Park, located at 2001 Jackwoods Parkway.
The mayor estimated the cost of building a splash pad, excluding site work, to be approximately $500,000 and recommended splitting the funding over three years, starting in the current fiscal year, which would require council action, and continuing over the next two fiscal years.
When it approved its budget, the council voted to preliminarily set aside funds for the possibility of a splash pad at the park in June 2024.
The new proposed area in the park, near the playground equipment, is on a hill and will require leveling and retaining walls. Reinersman said as discussions progressed, the city also decided to build a shaded area for parents to sit near the splash pad.
“From what I can tell, it’s all the positive feedback and interest from anybody I’ve talked to,” Independence Councilmember Tom Brinker said. “One thing we hear constantly is kids have nothing to do.”
In July 2024, Reinersman and the council agreed to move forward with early planning and engineering design work for the splash pad project, which will enable the city to apply for a $250,000 grant to offset construction expenses. Reinersman stated during the June 2 meeting that the city had applied for the grant, but it had not been announced whether they had received the funding. He said they should find out this month.
Reinersman said the goal then would be to cover the remaining $350,000 through business sponsorships.
Though the goal is not to tap into the city’s reserves for the remaining $600,000 needed for the project, the city council did vote unanimously on Monday to approve that route should the grant and sponsorships fall through.
“As you all know, our reserves are very healthy; we’re fortunate in that area,” Reinersman said. “We’ve filled out some good reserves over the last several years, so we can afford it. That’s not the issue. We’re not talking about a tax increase or anything like that.”
According to the city, it would like to complete the project by Memorial Day 2026. Independence City Administrator Chris Moriconi said if the city wants to complete the project by May 2026, it will have to put bids out within the next month or two.