Splash Pad coming soon to Fletcher Park

By BLAKE FAITH
Staff Writer

The Mt. Zion Village Board met on July 19 and approved both of their action items. The items included were the approval of an agreement for professional engineering and land surveying services between the village of Mt. Zion and Martin Engineering Company and approving the change order and final pay estimate for the Fletcher Park Splash Pad.

The change order and final pay estimate for the Fletcher Park Splash Pad saw four items needing changes for an increase of $29,252.

The first item was a requirement by the Illinois Department of Public Health that was not on the plans. The IDPH requires showers for splash pads that use a recirculating water system. The ADA showers are back ordered, so it is unknown IDPH will allow the staff to open the splash pad without the showers operational.

The second and third items were originally to be done by Public Works, but timing, weather delays and manpower have made issues for this project this summer. The other changing item will be the decision to use white concrete instead of a grey concrete for the blue section of the splash pad. The reasoning was because the white concrete looked better,

The engineer’s original estimate was $748,500 and the total project cost is roughly $775,243. Due to grants, contributions and donations the village of Mt. Zion spent $285,903.

There is a supply issue with a few items needed for the bathrooms that might cause a delay in opening and acquiring the IDPH operating permit. Staff is trying to open the splash pad as soon as possible and will plan a ribbon cutting and dedication after the permit is obtained.

The splash pad will be open to the public and free to use during operating hours. Operating hours are still being worked on. Temperature and daylight hours are factors into the operating hours.

“The Fletcher Park Splash Pad will be a great addition to Mt. Zion and our recreational opportunities for our residents,” Village Administrator Julie Miller said. “The Mayor and Village Board have been working to follow the park master plan established for Fletcher Park. The splash pad project will be enjoyed by many children and families for many years to come.”

The agreement between the village of Mt. Zion and Martin Engineering Company. The agreement defines the services that will be performed and the village will initiate the work through a task order. Those services included: sanitary sewer/ water main distribution engineering, civil engineering, drainage design and analysis, MFT assistance, land and route surveying, construction inspection and grant writing and administration. The specifics of the services will be defined by each work order assignment.

The agreement also included that the village is not required to use Martin Engineering Company exclusively.

The next Mt. Zion Village Board meeting will be on August 16 at 5:15 p.m.