In what is sure to be exciting news for local families, the BOCC awarded a bid of $4,636,682.31 to Waller Construction for the building of the Rotary Splash Park at the Anderson Snow Sports Complex on July 11. The project will include the installation of a 6,000 sq. ft. splash pad, a 4,494 sq. ft. deck with vertical features, and an overlaid concrete deck. The splash pad will feature a 1,166 sq. ft. restroom building and three (3) detached changing cabanas. The project also includes the construction of a new 3,169 sq. ft. pre-engineered steel maintenance building with workshop/vehicle bays, offices, and restrooms. Additional parking, access to the splash park, and pedestrian connections to the other existing park elements are also planned. The project was championed by the three Rotary Clubs in Hernando County, which have pledged $100,000 to the county to get the project started. In exchange, the County agreed to name the park Rotary Splash Park and display the group’s logo at the entrance.
April Johnson Spence, former Rotary Club of Brooksville President, stated, “We are very excited that the process is moving forward. We started this process over five years ago, just before I became president of the Brooksville Club. We weren’t sure which park the county wanted to use the donation towards, but we knew we wanted to give something back to help the children in the county. All three clubs collaborated and have a contract between the clubs for funding. We originally started working with Harry Johnson and then moved to working with Chris Linsbeck, and he came up with the design we have today. The project grew from a small splash pad to a larger project to support some additional needs within the park, like more parking, additional bathrooms, relocating the maintenance building, and more. Our donation amount is for $100,000, and even though it is now a small portion of the total project, we are so happy that we are able to bless the citizens of Hernando County with a fun recreational activity for the kids.”
Correction: This article was corrected to reflect that April Johnson Spence is a former president of the Rotary Club of Brooksville, not the current president.
