Opening of splash pad in Belleville park is delayed, city officials say. Here’s an update
Belleville is still getting a splash pad, but it won’t be open before the end of the summer season.
Jason Poole, the city’s director of public works, expects the $425,000 project to be completed this fall on the upper level of Bicentennial Park, off South 21st Street, near the pavilion.
“We want it up and running by next year,” he said.
Poole had hoped to see the splash pad installed this summer. The project was delayed, he said, because officials had to fill out extra paperwork and meet other requirements of an Illinois state grant that’s being used to cover $300,000 of the cost.
The city has hired a contractor to install the splash pad, but the primary focus now is on infrastructure, including electricity and water lines.
“It’s in the process, but the flashy part of the job hasn’t been done yet,” Poole said.
Playground with water
A splash pad is a playground with a concrete foundation and a variety of water features. The kidney-shaped one in Belleville will measure 50 by 100 feet with animals and flowers that spray water, arch and umbrella-like showers and nozzles that shoot water into the air like fountains.
Several metro-east cities have splash pads. They’ve become popular in public spaces because there’s little or no standing water, reducing the risk of drowning and a need for lifeguards.
The city of Belleville demolished its public swimming pool in 2015. Officials had decided not to reopen it for the 2012 summer season after the Illinois Department of Public Health closed it the previous fall due to drain problems that needed to be fixed.
The city also was facing more than half a million dollars in costs for other upgrades and staff training and for renovations to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Grant awarded in 2019
Belleville officials have been talking about installing a splash pad for years. The city was awarded a $300,000 grant in 2019 through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Former Belleville Mayor Mark Eckert supported the project.
“I think the splash pad is a great way for young children and moms in the hot summer to come … and keep cool and have a little fun,” he said when the grant was awarded.
The city’s new mayor is Patty Gregory, who defeated Eckert in the April consolidated election.
City officials first planned to install the splash pad during the summer of 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic turned their attention to more pressing matters.
Project gets go-ahead
Last fall, Belleville City Council members had to decide whether to use the grant money or release it back to the state. Some were concerned about splash-pad installation costs not covered, as well as operational expenses, mostly for water, estimated at $20,000 a year.
Aldermen ultimately chose to go ahead with the project, which was designed by Tennessee-based manufacturer Water Odyssey.
“We’re getting $300,000 through the grant, and we’re using some of our recreation funds for the remainder of it,” Poole said, noting that will be about $125,000. “We have some surplus rec money that we’ve accumulated over the years from programs and events.”
The grant is part of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s $45 billion capital-improvement plan, funded by state tax increases on gas, cigarettes and gambling and fee increases on vehicle registrations.
This story was originally published September 1, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
