Mother Nature may have turned the entire township into a splash zone this summer, but next year there’ll be an official option at the Wellesley Community Centre, as township council this week approved construction of a splash pad.

The new splash park is to be a zero-depth spray and splash area, including a 40-by-60-foot concrete pad with eight or nine water features. The facility would hold no standing water and would not need lifeguard supervision, but would feature several cool-down sprinkler systems for children. The flow of water would be activated by sensors when there is activity such as kids playing.

“We don’t have any other aquatic facility in the Township of Wellesley so it is definitely opening a new door for us,” said recreation director Brad Voisin in support of the project.

An attendant from the Wellesley and District Lions Club, the group behind the project, will check the water quality each morning that the splash pad is open, but no full-time staff will be needed to supervise the facility.

Hoping to have the splash pad open by the summer of 2011, the facility committee has begun an active fundraising drive with a goal of raising about $250,000. In addition to individual fundraising, the committee will seek contributions from groups such as the Kitchener-Waterloo Community Foundation and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

Council’s approval has moved the service club get one step closer to getting the project off the ground, said Jen Sommer, a splash pad committee member in attendance at Tuesday night’s council meeting.

Voisin said he is impressed by the commitment of the group throughout this somewhat lengthy process.

“This is a group of people who are really driven – they really want to get this going”

Mayor Ross Kelterborn praised the club’s efforts, saying the township enthusiastically backs the project.

“Thank you very much for providing this service for the community, for the children of Wellesley and district.”