The city of Riverview is transferring about $57,000 in 2017 program year Community Development Block Grant program income funds to purchase a splash pad for Memorial Park north of Colvin.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
RIVERVIEW – It may still feel like summer, but a new splash pad in Memorial Park, funded by Community Development Block Grant Funding, won’t be up and running until next summer.
About $57,000 from the 2017 program year will be transferred to a public facilities improvement category for park playground equipment, pending formal approval, following the prerequisite public hearing slated for the Oct. 2 City Council meeting.
CDBG, a program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, funds local community development activities, which include public facility improvements.
Parks and Recreation Director Todd Dickman obtained a quote for the splash pad from Michigan-based Miracle Midwest, a full service park and playground consulting, layout, design and manufacturers’ representative firm.
Dickman said the splash pad is about 50 feet from edge to edge, which is smaller than the previous one, which was about 70 feet from edge to edge.
It includes a run-through spray feature, designed to look like an old fashioned bicycle with a large front wheel.
He said the addition of more above ground features adds to the cost of the splash pad, and above ground features require winter storage and maintenance.
City Manager Doug Drysdale said a new pad might need to be installed to make the splash pad compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which sets minimum accessibility standards when public facilities are renovated, which he said may add $5,000 to the project cost.
Dickman said the water supply line, which is currently 1.5 inches in diameter, is required to be at least 2-inches in diameter, and the city needs to repair the current drain pipe.
Dickman said he needs to research whether a state permit will be required prior to the start of construction.
Drysdale said a deposit would be made on the equipment this year with 2017 block grant funding, with the installation scheduled for next spring.
(Sue Suchyta can be reached at [email protected].)