The pursuit of a splash pad for East Twin Park was approved Monday by the City Council of Webster City, but with a significant condition.
If Webster City does not receive an Iowa tourism grant, the application for which is due August 15, the Council has the option to backtrack and either not go through with the project or find another significant way to defray the cost of the $450,050 amenity.
“I am excited about this project,” Councilman Logan Welch said early in Monday’s discussion. Then he added, “I don’t want anyone to feel we are rushing to this discussion.”
Jerry Kloberdanz, chairman of the Hamilton County Board of Supervisors, which committed $40,000 of the county’s money to the project, asked questions of the Council that he said some members of the public are shy to ask.
One: Keeping in mind that the city is planning to spend at least $78 million on a wastewater treatment facility, why was a splash pad system that does not recirculate water chosen?
Two: How is the city going to pay the estimated $65,000 to $70,000 cost of running the splash pad annually?
Dumping five million gallons of water into the wastewater system that has not yet been upgraded is an issue, Kloberdanz insisted.
The Council, saying it had only just seen the proposal recommending the non-circulating splash pad cited initial cost as an answer to the first issue: a recirculating design could cost almost twice as much, according to past estimates; and research had shown that recirculating water could raise issues of chemical treatment and potential illness, Mayor John Hawkins said.
Then Hawkins said: “The big thing is how are we going to pay for this thing year after year?”
He added that there had been times in the past when the city didn’t know if it had the funds to open the municipal outdoor pool.
Councilman Matt McKinney added: “Yes, I want to move forward, but I want to know how we’re going to pay for it.”
Funds for its annual operation could likely come from Hotel/Motel tax money, Hawkins said after it was agreed to push the project forward.
Monday’s haste is tied to the August 15 grant deadline, which is an Enhance Iowa/CAT Grant tied to tourism, Assistant City Manager Biridiana Bishop told the Council. She just recently learned there was still money available in that fund, she said.
To accommodate that grant application, the Council agreed to commit 65% of the outstanding cost of the project Monday.
The hope is that community fundraising and supporting grants can relieve the dollar amount of that commitment.
The Council packet, which accompanies the meeting agenda and is available to the public through the city’s website, states that while administration has been looking for grant money, it has, so far, been elusive.
“City staff has been diligently pursuing grant opportunities as they become available to help offset the costs of the splash pad installation. To date, we have not received any grants.”
Those grants include a Wellmark Foundation Grant of $100,000, which has not been received; likewise a $99,999 Prairie Meadows Grant; and a $1,000 Iowa Parks and Recreation.
The city has also pursued a $50,000 T-Mobile Hometown Grant; and $30,000 from the Enhance Hamilton County Foundation, the application for which will be submitted this fall.
Prior to Monday’s meeting, the City of Webster City had already committed $42,500.
The splash pad will only have water flowing when the activator switch is turned on; it will not continuously flow water during hours of operation, according to the Council packet.
View this article as it originally appeared in the Daily Freeman-Journal.
Last modified: August 8, 2023