A week after ground
broke on the new splash pad at Chesterton Park, work is well under way.
As Superintendent
Bruce Mathias reported to the Park Board at its meeting Tuesday night,
recent rains have forced the crew to adjust the normal installation schedule
but good progress is being made anyway. To date, both the splash pad’s water
tank and control vault have been put into the ground, and the crew is
currently arranging for electric, water, and sanitary service.
“They’ve gotten a
lot done,” Mathias said, then added that he expects the splash pad to be in
full operation by June.
In related
business, members voted unanimously to spend up to $2,000 on a pair of
waterproof “aqua chairs”--constructed of PVC and other impervious
materials--to give disabled kids a chance to enjoy the splash pad.
The splash pad was
purchased from low bidder Splash Zone of Mesa, Ariz., for $104,686, financed
through a $2-million bond issued late in 2015. Cost of installation: an
additional $195,770.
Playground
Equipment
Meanwhile, members
voted unanimously to go out for bid on synthetic fall-protection turf to be
installed under new playground equipment at Dogwood, Chesterton, and Olde
Towne parks. The estimated cost of the turf: $250,000.
Mathias did say
that he’s hopeful, if the price is right, of obtaining anti-static turf,
noting that the Park Department has received several complaints in the past
from folks who sustained static-electric shocks after walking across older
generation turf.
Members also voted
unanimously to award the contract for installing the playground equipment at
the three parks to low-quoter Hacienda Landscaping of Plainfield, Ill.
Hacienda’s quote: $82,000.
The playground
equipment in question has already been delivered to the Park Department.
Total cost of the three sets: $242,906.
Dogwood Restroom
Members voted
unanimously as well to authorize Mathias to solicit quotes from three
responsible contractors for the installation of a concrete foundation for
the new restroom facility at Dogwood Park. Estimated cost of the foundation:
$25,000 to $50,000, well below the $150,000 statutory threshold at which the
work must be bid out.
The old restroom
won’t be demolished and removed until the new one--purchased from Concrete
Modular Systems Inc. of St. Petersburg, Fla., at a cost of $138,140--has
been installed and is fully operational, Mathias said. The new facility will
be “set back a little from where the current one is.”
Donation
Members took a
moment at the end of the meeting to express their gratitude to Mary Paulson
for her donation of $100 to the Park Gift Fund, in memory of the late Roy
Flaherty, a long-time member of the Park Board and a long-time friend of
Chesterton’s parks.
Shinn on the Bond
Projects
Member Paul Shinn
had this to say about the flurry of activity and energy generated by the
bond issue: “We’ve got a lot of projects going on this year. That’s great. I
think our costs are staying under control. Good job to all.”