The splash pad that was originally planned to be fully constructed in the City of Washington Court House prior to the beginning of the school year has been delayed.
According to Ron Sockman, the Washington C.H. service director, the parts for the splash pad were ordered from a distributor in Canada. Although nothing was wrong with the parts, they were held up in customs and arrived a couple weeks late.
The city does have the parts now along with needed surveys and permits.
“It’s progressing, but we’ve really run into some snags that are beyond our control,” said Sockman.
The project remains stalled as the construction company for the pad, Vortex USA, had its own schedule to keep with a project in another area. A splash pad is a recreation area for water play that has little or no standing water.
Washington C.H. City Council passed a resolution in June that allowed city manager Joe Denen to sign a contract with Vortex USA for the purchase of the pad.
It is planned to be constructed off Eyman Park Drive close to Lakeview Avenue and the bike path near the location of the old city pool, which closed several years ago.
The Fayette County Park District allocated $25,000 toward the estimated total cost of $125,000 for the project, according to Sockman.
As previously reported, the splash pad is planned to be owned and maintained by the city with low maintenance required. All equipment is supposed to come with warranties.
The project is planned to use a system that supplies a continuous, fresh supply of water from the city’s water plant. Once used, that water will be collected in a six-inch sanitary, then will travel back to the Waste Water Treatment Plant. According to officials, this system would be cheaper and more efficient than using a recirculating system.
Sockman explained the next step for the project is a construction meeting with Vortex USA where the start date for the project will be decided. Once construction starts it should be completed in approximately 10 days.
The new goal is to have construction begin in September. Although the weather won’t be nice enough to use the splash pad this year, Sockman said they want the pad completed, so “in spring we can hit the ground running.”
Reach Jennifer Woods at 740-313-0355.
