Kids in Wellesley might be able to go for a run through the new splash park a bit sooner than expected, maybe even as early as this August. With plans for the splash park approved this week at township council, organizers are eager to begin ordering the parts and getting the site ready for installation.
In 2008, a group of parents and community members approached the Wellesley Lions Club with the idea for a splash park. Without a lot of trees at the park to provide shade from the hot summer sun, parents and community members from Wellesley decided that a splash park would be a great incentive for their kids to spend some time outside and get some exercise. The splash park committee was formed, made up of club members and interested parents.
Jennifer Kays Sommer, splash park coordinator and a Lions Club member, told councillors meeting Tuesday night the Grand River Conservation Authority has approved the south side of the community centre parking lot as a good location for the park: soil testing has been completed, and water lines have been run from Brown Street to the proposed site.
The splash park committee brought forward a budget that estimates the total cost of the project at $175,000. Currently, the committee has access to nearly $160,000, and fundraising efforts continue. The Township of Wellesley approved an interest-free loan for the committee of up to $30,000 if needed.
The splash park will include a 40-by-60 foot concrete pad, three or four above-ground features such as dumping buckets and four or five in-ground elements such as water sprayers.
In order to minimize the amount of water wasted, the splash park will make use of re-circulation system.
“We want to make sure we are being environmentally responsible,” said Sommer. “We are pretty proud of the strides that we’ve made with this project so far.”
Although some of the funds still need to be raised, the committee is hoping to have the splash park open and fully operational before summer’s end.
