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Youngstown wants splash pads at two city parks
YOUNGSTOWN
Splash pads at two city parks will be built if the city is successful in obtaining a grant to help pay for them, according to its park and recreation director.
The city opened four proposals Monday for the splash pads that shoot and spray water from above-ground sprinklers with little to no standing water. The water feature is designed for children.
The splash pads would be installed at John White Park on the East Side and Homestead Park on the South Side.
Of the four proposals, Vortex, a company from Williamston, Mich., submitted the least-expensive at $136,640. The public-works department will review the proposals, but Burke said nothing will be done until the Youngstown Foundation decides on a Hine Memorial Fund grant request from the city to help pay for the splash pads.
The city has $90,000 in its park and recreation budget for the splash pads and needs the money from the grant for the work to be done, Burke said. The grant announcement is expected in mid-May, he said.
The city received a $120,000 grant last year from the Hine Memorial Fund for playground equipment at Wick Park on the North Side. Hine provides money for therapeutic services and projects for children with medically diagnosed disabilities in Youngstown. The Wick playground is handicapped accessible, and the splash pads are designed for use by all children, Burke said.
“It’s important to have playgrounds that children can use,” Burke said. “The power of play is phenomenal. The benefits are endless. Kids need a place to play, and the city wants to make our parks better.”
If the city doesn’t get the grant money, it plans to move ahead with building a splash pad at one of the two parks, Burke said. If it comes to that, Burke said he would ask city council members to decide where the splash pad would go.
If the grant money comes through, the splash-pad work would be done toward the end of summer.