Sterling City Council OKs $65,000 splash pad equipment purchase

STERLING – A splash pad is coming to the heart of the downtown, and should be ready to get sprinklin’ this summer

The City Council agreed Monday to pay $65,413 for the equipment, which will be installed in the spring in Central Park, home of Grandon Civic Center.

It’s all part of planned upgrades that include adding bathrooms and a concession stand on the southeast corner of the park, installing new wiring and light fixtures, replacing the aging band shell benches and creating a walking path around the perimeter, among other things.

The small splash pad, which will be about 35 feet across, will be built immediately northwest of the gazebo, while the controls and other external equipment will be inside new concession and restroom building.

It will have 13 nozzles, 12 directional and one vertical nozzle in the center that blooms outward. The nozzles also will have LED lights, for nighttime displays.

It will be activated when it’s stepped on, but also can be shut down when necessary, such as during concerts and other events in the park.

The city hired local contractor Scott Hibbard of Hibbard Builders (hibbardbuilders.com) to be the project manager; some of the work will be done by subcontactors, and some, like the concrete work, will be done by city workers, City Administrator Scott Shumard said.

The total cost of the Central Park project has not yet been determined, although it will be several hundred thousand dollars, and the timeline is a little tentative, given the problems with the supply chain and the cost of construction materials, Shumard said.

Central Park is one of seven parks owned and maintained by the city.

D.W. Grandon donated the band shell to the city in July 1938; it is home to the Sterling Municipal Band concerts and the summertime Movies in the Park series. The park also is available to rent; call 815-632-6630 for information.

For several years now, the city has been revamping its parks, adding new playground equipment, upgrading basketball courts, putting in new curbs and sidewalks, improving parking lots, and adding benches and picnic tables, all with the goal of increasing park usage. The work is ongoing, and the Central Park project is part of that plan.

Locally, Dixon, Oregon and Ashton also all have splash pads.