City Hall packed for splashpad debate

The proposal to build a splashpad in Riverside has elicited strong feelings among many of the town?s residents. Some of those residents shared their feelings at Tuesday?s city council meeting. The council chambers were packed to the gills. People were lined up into the hallway and into a side room because there was not enough space for them in the chambers. Everyone who wanted to speak on the splashpad was given a chance to, and by the time the councilors had put their 2 cents in the meeting was four hours old.

At the beginning of the meeting, Mayor Bill Poch moved the discussion of the splashpad to the end of the agenda, when the public got a chance to speak on the matter. Before the public spoke, city engineer Mike Hart addressed the council about revised estimates of the amount of water the splashpad would use.

Hart said that the proposed splashpad in Hall Park will consist of three separate play areas called ?nodes.? Each node has a set of features that run water through them, which could include elevated buckets that dump water and fountains that shoot water from the ground. Hart said that if all the nodes run at once the splashpad would use just over 200 gallons per minute. However, he said the nodes can be run sequentially so that only one is on at a time, in which case it would use one-third the amount of water. Hart said that if the nodes were run sequentially and they were on for eight hours per day, the splashpad would use 33,600 gallons of water daily.

Hart said that the nodes would turn on when a person pushed a start button. Once the first node starts, a time clock determines when the first node shuts off and the second node starts. Hart said he did not know how many water features, such as buckets that fill with water, would be included in each node. He estimated that the cost of running the splashpad would be slightly under $22,000 a year in water and $2,200 in additional chemicals and electricity at the water and sewer plants.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Poch asked that anyone who supported the splashpad go to the podium and make their comments. Eight people spoke in support of the splashad that night, and after no more hands were raised Poch asked if anyone who was against the splashpad would like to speak, and six people rose to speak against it.

A few speakers talked about about Poch?s veto of the resolution to set the date of the bid letting and public hearing on the splashpad. Poch announced his veto through an e-mail sent Monday, Feb. 13, and included many reasons for his act, such as that there were still many unanswered questions about the splashpad.

Roger Brand said Hall Park was the best place for a splashpad because young kids go to the park anyway to play baseball and softball.

Chris Hickman, who spoke in favor of the splashpad, said, ?You guys are asking questions, but is anyone getting answers? Is the reason for the veto to give up??

Hickman also spoke about Poch?s e-mail in which he said he talked to 20 households and two churches.

?I live right behind you and you didn?t come to my house,? he said. ?You had questions, but did you ask the questions to anyone who would know??

Brad Herrig also spoke in favor of the splashpad. He said the city has an engineer and an attorney on staff who could have fielded questions about the splashpad if the councilors had any. Herrig said the splashpad was a great way to keep young people, and money, in town.

?Here?s an example for the council to lead, to bring revenue into town,? he said. ?I guarantee you that people from Kalona, Washington, Iowa City, North Liberty and every other place we go, may use this.?

Kevin Mills spoke against the proposed splashpad, not because he opposes the idea of a splashpad but because he didn?t like the way the splashpad has been approved.

?We can?t get answers to anything,? he said. ?Costs keep going up. It uses a lot of water, and the more you use it, the more it?s going to cost. Does anyone have the cost written down who can say this is the best estimate? We don?t have it. I haven?t heard it. I don?t see it.?

Mills suggested that the council talk to other cities that have splashpads to find out what their repair costs have been.

Cindy Schnoebelen said she was not opposed to the splashpad but that she was opposed to the amount of water it would use.

?We do not have an unlimited amount of fresh water,? she said.

Larry Simon asked if the size and cost of the splashpad has grown since the project began. Simon said the council should have an idea of the cost of a splashpad before it puts the project out for bid.