Wallaceburg splash pad is a go

A girl making a big bubble

The construction of a splash pad in Wallaceburg got a lot more real on Monday night.

Wallaceburg Coun. Carmen McGregor entered a successful motion at Monday night’s council meeting to establish a splash pad committee in Wallaceburg, and allow fundraising efforts to begin.

Council agreed to have the splash pad constructed at Colwell Park on Running Creek Drive, the site of the former Colwell Pool. Council voted unanimously in favour of the project.

McGregor said was happy to move the project along as soon as possible.

“They wanted to do a fast campaign to try and get this groundbreaking by next year,” she said.

“In order to do that they really needed to get blessings from the Municipality, because they will using the Municipality to issue tax receipts for anybody who makes a donation over $20. They also needed to confirm that we can choose Colwell Park as a location for a splash pad.”

With the next council meeting not scheduled until Sept. 14, McGregor asked for the rules to be temporarily suspended for her to skip the notice of motion stage, and place the motion on the table immediately.

“We were really happy,” she said. “So we are ready to go.”

McGregor said she thinks it is excellent to be at the point where Wallaceburg can get a splash pad.

“I know couple of communities have tried and worked towards it and we were so lucky to have all of that information which is why we have been able to move fast,” shes said. “A lot of that research was done for us. Jane McGee had kept all of that information from other communities so we were able to use that information. We have had a few challenging issues facing the community, but when we pull together we are strong together. It’s just another bonus that would be very, very positive for Wallaceburg.”

McGregor said many other communities in Chatham-Kent have splash pads that have been fundraised by their own community.

“Everybody I have talked to, I haven’t heard a negative remark from anybody about the splash pad,” she said. “I think it’s something the community would like to do. We all want to see some places for our kids to go to and to play and take one of our parks that really isn’t being utilized right now very well and turn it into a really good space for kids to go.”

Chris Young, who has spearheaded the project from the start, said Colwell Park is the logical location for the splash pad.

“We didn’t want to spend money developing property or building new parks,” Young told the Sydenham Current. “There is green space available but that is green so it would require utilities and infrastructure to go in. That would mean extra dollars being fundraised. You know when we looked at a number of different areas, the committee agreed to make this happen, and happen quickly, as opposed to dragging it out over a number of years.”

Young added: “Colwell park would be a great spot. You know a lot of people in Wallaceburg and the surrounding area learned how to swim there, so that gets back something nice for the community and it is central. It’s right on the creek there too.”

Young said with council’s support now, it clears another hurdle.

“We need to look at whether we need to have community meetings and then start fundraising,” he said. “We need to coordinate all of this and we need to have a fundraising committee and a marketing committee. I look at it like a good old fashion barn raising for the town, where everybody in town can kinda grab a brick or clean up the loose change in their cars and all those fancy spots we hide it. Come out and lets see what we can build. I think it will be great.”

Young said they are eyeing next July to have kid’s splashing at the pad.

“We are going to be fairly aggressive. The date we keep kicking around is July or next year so once we get rolling we are going to talk to all the service clubs. A lot of that ground work had already taken place so hopefully we can make some presentations and connect with the different groups in our community and just keep it going forward. I think the enthusiasm is out there,” he said.

“Definitely the response for people wanting to volunteer for our committee keeps growing. People keep showing up and saying ‘yeah, I want to help you with this’, ‘this is great’, ‘we need to do it’, ‘how quick can we do it?’ and ‘what can I do?’. So it’s growing in leaps and bounds. I think once we can get through the hurdles.

Young said they do not have a design completed yet, but they were happy to select a site location.

“Once we get an idea of how much we think we can raise and get commitments, then we can really come down to a design of what it will look like. The success and communities around us, I think Wallaceburg can equal those with no problem at all and exceed them to the desire of the community,” Young said.

“You look at the recent successes at Brander Park, at Mitchell’s Bay, at Sombra. You know there are just lists and lists of different things that have happened. Dresden with their recent sports field project that they started. They thought it would be a two or three year project, and they accomplished most of their work in like 12 or 14 months. There is no reason we can’t do that in Wallaceburg and I think everybody is excited.”

Young said looking at other projects from the area, they are looking at raising somewhere from $200,000 to $250,000.

“We have asked a lot of questions and these are the numbers that we have heard back,” he said.

“Tilbury built a very nice splash pad in the community. Brander Park most recently, everyone in our community is very familiar with. It’s a beautiful spot. The splash pad itself to the edge of the concrete I understand costs around $200,000. So that kind of puts it in perspective. For $200,000 we can get this.”

Young added: “Once we get an idea of everyone’s commitment and the communities engagement in this, that will dictate how great it can go. Like I said, we haven’t raised a dollar yet so we have got a long way to go to our target, but every dollar will help. I am hoping it becomes a community thing and we will see lemonade stands popping up on street corners and people trying to raise money for the splash pad, which would be awesome. I think it will be fun.”

Young said previous groups in Wallaceburg have compiled a lot of data and information, which is helping moving forward quickly.

“A lot of the work with regards to site planning, available green space and available properties was already done so we had a good file to start with,” he said.

“We were able to get a lot of ideas for sites and potential spots. We looked all over town. We looked at all of the parks. We looked at, what do they have, what do they need and what do we need to invest in order to make it useful for this purpose. That saved a lot of time so we didn’t have to go and re-create that.”

Young said this splash pad won’t just be for children.

“It’s for everyone in the community, young and old alike. We want it to be accessible to everyone so people in wheelchairs can go over to it just as easy as everyone. All the kids, adults, grandparents or whoever wants to go sit on a hot day in the sunshine and enjoy some cool water and have a good time can do that, he said.

Young said currently there are about 16 people on the committee and another meeting is scheduled for this week, where more organization will take place for the fundraising efforts.

“It’s going to be great for the community. I am happy to have such a great group of people to work with. They all are committed, we are all committed to have a splash pad in town for Wallaceburg, for our home town,” he said. “I think it’s great. I think everyone is excited and we just have to get a few things set down on dates and figure out what we want to do when and get the word out. Whatever we come up with as a community, we will go forth and make it happen.”

Watch for more on this story.

1 COMMENT

  1. What a great story, so wonderful to hear that the Splash pad will become a reality for Wallaceburg!
    My only question is will the Municipality back the Wallaceburg Adult (Senior) Centre in the same way to obtain an accessible building? This way young and old will have a place to enjoy their time.
    Here’s hoping Carmen and Jeff will make it happen.

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