After recently securing a $50,000 loan from the Municipality, the Wallaceburg Splash Pad committee is excited to move forward with their project.
Chris Young, the chair of the committee, said it was fun to watch Chatham-Kent council provide unanimous support for their loan.
“Big thank you to all of them for investing and providing us the opportunity to build the splash pad,” he said.
“The fundraising as you know has continued and will continue until we have got all the money in the bank basically.”
RFP is set to be sent out
Young said the next step is to go through is the request for proposal process for the project, which will determine who completes the work for the new splash pad.
“There is a bidding process, everyone has to send in quotes and we will identify what the parameters are for that,” he said.
“We will get that sent out… then it will be kind of hurry up and wait for the responses. Then there is a review process with criteria, we don’t just solely judge it on cost or amenity, we have a number of different criteria to asses the bids that way.”
Young added: “Then it will be awarded and get the thing built as quick as we can… before it gets too hot and miss some good hot weather for the kids and our community.”
Young said the target date to have the work completed is still July 1, although it is more likely to be done later on in the month.
“We are very optimistic that it will be available in July,” he said.
“I have no idea how long of a process it takes. Depending on the vendor that gets picked, their ability to install. I don’t know how many splash pads are being built. Ideally we would like it done by the first of July, but realistically, probably later in July… but definitely this summer. We have to set a date and do what we can.”
Fundraising will continue
Young said members of the committee are busy planning and thinking about fundraising ideas to tackle next.
“We still do have a gap to fill,” he said.
“Since we sent the letter to council, it was a couple months ago, it actually went the night before we had our trivia night, so since then we have contributions and donations of about $20,000. We made $8,300 on Trivia night and there has been a couple private donations for $1,000 or so each. That took us up to $10,000. Than with the Kinsmen Club coming on board and supporting the project, that is a another $10,000.”
Young said the $50,000 gap is actually now $30,000 for the approximate $170,000 project.
“If we can go past it all the better because that will give us perhaps other opportunities to add a few extra amenities and not just the splash pad and the service building. So it’s pretty exciting,” he said.
Amazing community support
Young said the overall community support has been unbelievable.
“When we started it was going to be an old fashioned barn raising and it really has been,” he said.
“There are a lot of people who were the ones that have dipped their thumbs in the water, test the water and check to see if we were really going to make this happen. Groups have come and gone before trying to do it and we just persevered and trucked through those early days. The community has been great. They have just accepted it, supported it, came together, tried to figure out different ways to raise money and make it happen. It has been a wonderful experience I think for all of us on the committee to see the community come together.”
Follow along with the latest updates about the project on the groups Facebook page.
