“It’s an aggressive timeline, but we want them in operation by June 1,” Timmer said.
Splash pads are more economical than operating swimming pools because of the lower overhead costs and because they do not require lifeguards, he said.
Each splash pad could cost between $225,000 and $275,000, according to Timmer. Those costs could be more depending on the types of spray devices wanted for each splash pad. The splash pads are built on concrete bases and have several play structures that shoot and squirts water.
Brandon Saurber, assistant to City Manager Joshua Smith, said all four of the city’s pools were open in 2006, but the city was only able to open two pools in 2007. Saurber said all four pools were closed in 2008.
The city hopes to begin prep work on the proposed splash pad sites this fall to facilitate construction in the spring, Smith said.
Plans are in the works to demolish the former pools sometime this winter, Timmer said.
Last week, Timmer and Smith met with members of PROTOCOL, the Lindenwald civic association, to discuss the proposed project. A private donor has pledged $100,000 toward a splash pad, with the stipulation that it be built in Lindenwald.
Additional funding may come from Community Development Block Grant funding and other private sources, said Frank Downie, co-chair of the PROTOCOL organization.
“We want people in Lindenwald to decide where to put in the splash pad,” Smith said. “We will be doing an informal survey to be completed by October.”
A neighborhood meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Benninghofen Park to discuss the pros and cons of the proposal and to help identify a location for a splash pad, Downie said.
“Anytime we can get something for Lindenwald, we’ll listen,” he said. “There are no pools in the neighborhood and we want to keep kids cool in the summer…. We’re real excited about it. It’s been talked about, but now something is being done about it.”
Some possible sites in Lindenwald include some city parks as well as the former George Washington Pool site, Downie said.
“The old pool site would be ideal, but I’m not sure how the neighbors would receive it,” he said.
Middletown’s fiscal constraints led to the closing of their two pools at Douglass and Sunset parks in the past few years.
In 2006, the city opened a splash pad at Smith Park thanks to in-kind donations from various contractors as well as $10,000 grants each from the Harvey Foundation and the Middletown Community Foundation. The cost of the project was about $81,000, which included the cash grants and the value of the in-kind services.
In 2008, the city converted the former pool at Douglass Pool into a splash pad at a cost of $213,000, of which $50,000 each came from AK Steel, the Middletown Community Foundation and Community Development Block Grants.
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