July 14, 2021
Lee Evancho
COVID-19 paused our country for over a year and had many wondering if things would ever get back on track. Before the epidemic and shutdown the City of Weaver had plans to open a splash pad for the residents and tourists alike but everything was placed on hold. Now thing are starting to look up again.
Mayor Wayne Willis spoke at the July 13th council meeting about using a portion of the CARES funds on a Splash Pad for Weaver. He opened the Splash Pad discussion by stating that Weaver has been waiting forever for this. He laughed, but also explained that the grant he had applied for through the Forestry Department had stalled during the COVID pandemic. The original plan was for $150,000 splash pad that would cost Weaver $50,000 after the grant. This plan was designed by Great Summer Recreation. Because of the delay Mayor Willis explored other options to finance the park without the funds effecting the city’s budget.
The city has received $360,000 in CARES money. There will be a matching $360,000 at a later date. These funds can be used for ecotourism that was lost during the pandemic. Mayor Willis proposed to take up to $100,000 and apply it to the splash pad to be set at Weaver Park. He feels this will greatly benefit the quality of life for the citizens of Weaver.
There are certified groups that verify multiple bids from engineers and designers. If the city uses one of these certified groups, they are not required to go through a bidding process. This is because these companies are already certified to have the lowest price. This will ensure the lowest cost for the city and streamline the timeline as well. The current price is just under $100,000 to have the turnkey spash pad up and running.
The artist rendering of the splash pad can be viewed in the included two images. It is a push button system. This means that the kids will push the button and the water will turn on. After a set time, roughly 2-3 mins, the water will turn off. This will ensure that the water is not running if children aren’t present. In addition, this is a clean water system only. The water will not be recycled and reused. The reason for this is a recycled water system started at 1 million. Mayor Willis stated that the timeline for this splash pad is two months. The city council voted and unanimously agreed to apply up to $100,000 on the splash pad.
