Township council has thrown its support behind efforts by two local service clubs to build a splash pad in Drayton.
On May 10, Mapleton council approved the minutes of the April 11 parks and recreation committee meeting, which include a resolution acknowledging a splash pad as part of the parks, recreation and culture strategic master plan.
The resolution also calls on the committee to “reconnect to council to support the splash pad project with fundraising through the local Kinettes and Rotary Club.”
Wanda Dobben of the Kinette Club of Drayton and Rachael Laforge of Drayton Rotary addressed council on the topic at the May 10 meeting.
Laforge said the clubs have “teamed up to hopefully see a large project followed through for the betterment of our community.”
Dobben said the club has already raised about $23,000 toward the project, which it would like to see completed in 2017. The splash pad committee will also be soliciting corporate donations and applying for a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, she added.
“Thanks for coming. I’ve been waiting to hear from you guys about this project for a while,” said councillor Michael Martin, adding council can now “get the ball rolling and hopefully make some decisions.”
The previous Mapleton council had passed a resolution supporting the concept of a splash pad in principle, but the current group, elected in October of 2014, had never formally dealt with the proposal.
Mayor Neil Driscoll thanked the delegation for the information on the project and “for the hard work you’ve put into it so far.”
In an interview, Driscoll said the action taken at the meeting doesn’t commit the municipality to a specific financial contribution.
“We don’t have any money in the budget yet for the splash pad. We really have to wait until budget time to discuss it again,” he stated.
“This just gives the committee direction that, yes, go ahead and raise funds; we support building a splash pad.”
Meanwhile, said Driscoll, council will work with staff to “find the right location to put it that’s close to the water service.”
An April 11 report to the committee from public works director Jamie Morgan notes possible locations include “the general area of Kinsman Park (wastewater servicing may be problematic) and ABC Park.”
The report indicates the project is in the early stages of conceptualization, with a projected budget of $150,000. Two proposals under consideration have a budget amount of $160,000, but Morgan pointed out costs can be increased or decreased by adding or subtracting feature options. The report also indicates projected costs don’t include the extension of the water service needed to run the splash pad.
The operating costs associated with a flow through system consist of water usage and staff time (pre-opening inspection first thing in the morning). The water usage costs per season are expected to be around $6,000 to $8,000 with the inspection anticipated to take about 15 minutes each morning. A flow-through system, rather than recirculating water treatment system, has been recommended for the project, the report indicates. The cost to install a recirculating system is estimated at around $80,000.
The report states the Grand River Conservation Authority would be part of the approval process in regard to location selection and direct discharge to the Conestogo River.
The report also cautions the municipality’s water pressure and wastewater capacity issues could impact the project.
“Currently, without additional water (or wastewater capacity if required) this project cannot be supported,” the report states.
The township is currently considering alternatives proposed in a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment to increase the treatment capacity in order to accommodate the township’s projected population growth.
The Rotary and Kinettes clubs have indicated they are not prepared to fund operational costs for the splash pad, which Driscoll says is standard for this type of collaboration.
“It’s kind of the same thing as the arena. When Wintario built that, we took over the ownership and the operation of it,” the mayor said.
