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The original 2017 cost estimate for a splashpad was $164,655 from Vortex USA Inc. This is the company we were encouraged to do business with by our former Park & Rec director. We anticipated needing to include about another $ 90,000 for site preparation. Fund-raising and securing the in-kind donations were put on hold until splashpad project was put on city CIP (Capital Improvement Plan). This delay was extended after the 2018 tornado, 2020 pandemic and derecho.
Splashpad was finally put on CIP (2021) and city projected costs to be $ 500,000.
November 2022, after "design team" got involved "splashpad" morphed to "water plaza" and costs spiraled to an estimated $ 900,000.
March 10, 2023 memo to council, Jessica Kinser has the line item "community water plaza" listed at $ 997,633.
The engineer's estimate from Bolton & Menk in council packet released 4/21/2023 shows cost of $2,382,750.
During the 4/24/2023 council meeting water plaza presentation the cost estimation now $2,442,000 also showing a $ 633,000 contingency for expense overage.
How is this getting paid for? There is a $ 2,000,000 Destination Iowa (DI) grant. This grant is to be split with other projects in the Linn Creek development area. These projects combined are estimated to be $ 6,251,115. If you subtract the DI grant and general obligation (GO) bond there is still a shortfall on funding. Where does the additional funding come from? Maybe fundraising -- but also potential of additional taxpayer $ needed above and beyond the GO bond.
I struggle with understanding how we can justify the expenditures when our infrastructure is crumbling, taxes high and poverty levels increasing.
Do we need all the extras? I think not. We can streamline this back and build in stages with local in-kind donations. We can have something to honor the children that is fun, affordable, inclusive, and efficient, but it does NOT need to be this extravagant causing hardship for our hardworking friends and neighbors.
It grieves me that an idea/dream that was born out of horrific tragedy and only meant to help kids of all ages and abilities literally spun out of control when the powers that be took over the project.
Thank you to everyone who has supported the Splash 4 Life efforts over the past decade.