City Council receives splash pad progress update
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — The San Angelo City Council was updated on the latest progress on the splash pad projects planned for two of the town’s parks during its Feb. 6 meeting, with funding and maintenance talks taking center stage during the discussion.
The splash pads are slated for construction at Kirby Community Park and Unidad Park, where they would provide park-goers with a shower of water to play in through a series of colorful water features. The pad projects have made a splash in the San Angelo community, with several residents voicing their approval of the planned installations and others airing concerns that the pads are ultimately a waste of water and City resources.
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Such an endeavor requires funding, however, which led to the City approving private funding for the projects on Jan. 17, 2023. The business behind the fundraising effort, All-Tex Irrigation Splash Pads, would then set to work gathering the target amount of $850,000 needed to finance the water installations.
The update
Since the City’s approval of private fundraising for the splash pads, All-Tex has been able to raise enough money to fund the Unidad Park installation. With funding for the first splash pad secured, The City’s Parks & Recreation department sought the City Council’s concurrence to formally begin constructing the splash pad.
If the City Council agreed to the department’s request to begin implementing the pad, construction would commence in April and last until late May or early June. It would be located on the eastern side of the park’s playground area.
The splash pad doesn’t come without maintenance needs, though. As per a resolution approved by the City Council during the Jan. 17, 2023, meeting, “if the project is funded and construction is completed, in part or in full, the City of San Angelo agrees to fund the operation and maintenance of the facilities.”
This statement means that the City would be responsible for providing the facility with the funds needed for its operations and maintenance as well as a full-time technician. The cost for such a technician is estimated to be $63,000 annually, and the person filling the position would be expected to maintain the City pool as well.
The Parks & Recreation department also outlined what the expected daily operations of the splash pad would look like. The technician and any other staff assigned to the splash pad would need to carry out the following tasks daily while the pad remains open to the public:
Maintain adequate disinfectant level in water.
Minimum free available chlorine of 2.0 ppm.
Adequate cyanuric acid levels.
Minimum total bromine of 3.0 ppm.
Maintain pH 7.2 – 7.8.
Conduct daily inspections before opening.
Ensure disinfectant, secondary disinfectant (such as UV and ozone) and recirculation system and filters are operating correctly.
Inspect for and remove biofilm on splash pad surface (such as tank, spray nozzles, and drains) as required.
Test free available chlorine and pH every 2-4 hours while open to public.
Ensure drains prevent standing water from collecting in water play area.
Inspect tank regularly and clean as needed.
Document operation and management activities such as water testing results.
“It’s obviously a big citizens’ request to have splash pads, and we are thrilled that All-Tex stepped up and dedicated funds and efforts to this project, so we are thrilled with that partnership and the community that has contributed to this project,” Mayor Brenda Gunter said. “Now we need to do our part the ensure the safety and efficient running of this splash pad.”
A computer-simulated depiction of what the completed Unidad splash pad would look like. Image courtesy of the City of San Angelo. A computer-simulated depiction of what the completed Unidad splash pad would look like. Image courtesy of the City of San Angelo. A computer-simulated depiction of what the completed Unidad splash pad would look like. Image courtesy of the City of San Angelo.
Parks & Recreation revealed that, much like the pools of San Angelo, the splash pads will be closed during the winter. This will be governed by a switch within the installation that will also allow children to turn the splash pad’s water features on and off during its hours of public operation.
“We’ll have a program where it’s set so that it can only operate if somebody walks up to turn it on,” Carlton White, director of the City’s Parks & Recreation department, said. “We could extend that to the end of September during the weekends.”
Concerns were raised about how the rest of the project would be funded, however, with some City Council members questioning whether the use of public funds, such as those provided by tax dollars, would be needed.
“We need to make sure that we found a way to fund it once it’s operational and that there will be no hiccups,” Gunter said. “We don’t want to delay making sure we do all the technical maintenance aspects and that we have a person ready to be trained and ready the day we want to flip the switch and operate it.”
The City Council will now await the City of San Angelo Development Corporation’s consideration on the matter before moving forward with its own consideration, citing concerns that making a decision would set a precedent that the council controls matters that are strictly allotted to COSADC.
“We’ve done the part we need to do as a City Council, and now COSADC needs to do their part,” Gunter said. “COSADC is a separate board with the right to ask you [All-Tex] to present and to consider, and we will then react accordingly.”
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