The Glenwood Splash Pad should be installed at Barsness park this fall, according to Glenwood City Administrator Dave Iverson.  The equipment has been at the park for a few months now, but soil conditions in the area it was to be located were to wet to accommodate the pad, he explained.  But at this week’s Glenwood City Commission meeting, Iverson said the site for the splash pad was relocated south of the playground equipment between the creek and the park entrance road.  Soil testing in that area revealed that it was a better location, Iverson said.  

Commissioners learned that construction work on the splash pad would start after Labor Day and it would be completed by the end of September.  Iverson said the new location will allow for better water drainage and electrical access and said the city would likely install a few parking spots on the south side of the park road near the splash pad.  Commissioner Mavis Pattee suggested for safety reasons that the additional parking should be on the same side of the road as the splash pad.  Iverson said he would look into doing that.  There is also parking available near the GlenHaven shelter, he added.  “I can’t wait to get this started,” Pattee said.  

The city took no action on the issue, but approved the site by consensus with all commissioners present at Wednesday’s meeting.  

The equipment for the splash pad arrived months ago, because the goal was to get it operational by Waterama.  Weather and soil conditions delayed the project while the city and a local contractor decided on a more suitable site for the splash pad.  

A local splash pad committee raised more than $250,000 from local businesses and individual donors to build the splash pad at the city park.  The city agreed to own and maintain the splash pad once it is built.

According to the latest design, the Barsness Park Splash Pad will have three areas, a toddler bay, teen bay and a family bay.  There will be water activators near the toddler area and the teen area and as a water-saving plan, if only one area is being used, the water shuts off in the other areas.  The water is off if no one is using the splash pad, he said, and the pad is constructed so the water drains quickly when it’s not in use.  The local design is lake-themed and features different water devices such as water cannons and a large bucket that fills and dumps water on children. The pad is designed so that there is no standing water and the concrete pad is broom-brushed for a non-slip surface.