Council members at the regular meeting considered the design of the 800-square-foot splash pad at Tom Varn Park. The Brooksville Kiwanis Club is a partner on the project and will join Parks and Recreation in setting up a mechanism by which the primary constituents — the kids — will vote for their favorite.
Director Angie Whisnant submitted to the council four basic designs at the 800-square-foot price point, advising any changes or desired upgrades should be decided soon. A preliminary timeline indicates that planning and preparations will take approximately 12 weeks, followed by a 4-month construction phase. It was not clear at this meeting if the first week had begun.
Whisnant advised that plumbing to be installed is not part of the contract with Daly Zilch Inc, who will install the splash pad. She believes there are issues with some trees that will need to be addressed as well. The city has also applied for a grant to install restrooms, which are required by law to be within a certain distance of the pad.
Council Member David Bailey suggested that local kids should be the decision-makers on the subject of design.
Council Member Blake Bell suggested involving Supervisor of Elections Shirley Anderson to hold an election day for kids to vote on their favorites, and get a bit of an education on Civics.
May the best splash pad win!!
