New park making a splash

Plenty of items are still to be fixed at the Hillcrest Park Splash Park — including the addition of new fencing and the removal of signs from the city's Play, Inc. era.

But after eight months of work, the functional parts of the facility are ready, Parks and Recreation Director Bill Bizzell said, for a Memorial Day opening for the facility.

Water usage

Located near the main entrance of Hillcrest Park, the splash park will be prepared to splash hundreds of children with 2,000 gallons of water that is recirculated, treated and heated.

For comparison, the Wellness Center indoor pool uses 227,228 gallons and Potter Park's pool contains 125,000 gallons. Both are also circulating systems.

CMI staff photo: Kevin Wilson

The Hillcrest Park Splash Park is set to open 11 a.m. Monday. It will normally be open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is $1 per person.

Operation

The splash park will be open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, with some Monday openings for holiday weekends.

Larry Holland will be the on-site manager, while the facility falls under the Wellness Center pool staff (manager, Kathleen Jeffs).

A telephone line is still being installed, but Bizzell said a staffer will keep a cell phone on site for emergency calls.

Holland said he could be called at home (763-5449) over the weekend for any questions. During normal business hours, the Parks and Recreation Department number is 769-7870.

Admission

The splash pad is a $1 admission per person, spectator or user, with a maximum capacity of 150.

If the splash park is at capacity, with a line forming outside, sessions will be broken down into two-hour shifts — 11 a.m.-1 p.m., 1 p.m.-3 p.m. and 3 p.m.-5 p.m. If the splash park isn't full, patrons could stay the whole six hours.

Restrooms are available inside, with standing areas to change and showers. Bizzell said rules aren't nearly as stringent with a splash pad regarding showers, though a shower is still suggested.

Proper attire includes basic swimwear, Bizzell said, with no denim or cutoff shorts allowed.

Layout

The splash park is 13,200 square feet, divided into three sections:

• The splash pad area itself, 88 feet by 50 feet. There are eight water structures on the grounds. With exception of a three-ring tunnel and a large bucket splasher, most of the items have some movability.
• The south deck, also 88 feet by 50 feet. The area has two awnings for shade, and is adjacent to a back wall built in 1932 as a Works Progress Administration project. The parks and recreation master plan calls for the other side of the wall to be the back of a small theater for small concerts.
• The north deck adjacent to the locker rooms, 80 feet by 55 feet.

There is no seating in the park, but Bizzell said residents are welcome to bring lawn chairs.

Project cost

Splash pad equipment, layout and design: $599,324.00

Electrical/plumbing $1,200

Shower renovations: $28,765

Restroom upgrades (to be completed): $37,517

Total: $666,807

The money for the project, which Bizzell said was on budget, came from money the city received last year by renewing a parks and recreation bond. Bizzell said reopening the pool, located about 650 feet northwest of the indoor pool at the Wellness Center, would have come with a cost of about $3 million.