Farmington eyes splash pad project

While volunteers mobilize for the upcoming second Farmington Harvest Festival, the organizing committee has their eye on a project that may be built from its proceeds.

The five-member group decided at their first meeting for the Sept. 21 Festival that they will aim to install an interactive splash pad in the city park.

Chairman Frank Triplett estimates the feature may be 30 feet by 40 feet, beginning with a concrete pad from which will emerge fountains, buckets dropping, water guns and other features.

“That’s the direction the committee is going,” said Triplett.

The idea is that each year the Harvest Festival will donate its proceeds to the city for one cause.

Triplett said the committee is planning as many as 20 water outlets in the original design. It would be made so additional features could be added in future years.

“It’s an interactive thing that the kids can get wet, get cool and play in the park,” Triplett said.

Triplett said the first splash pad he remembers seeing was at Liberty Lake where he lived while he was the Director of Water and Hydro for the City of Spokane. After he retired in 2012 he moved to Farmington.

Because of Triplett’s background, the cost to build the splash pad in town could be less expensive than otherwise.

“We need to find out how much of it we can do ourselves,” Triplett said. “It’s really just a very elaborate irrigation system.”

Triplett indicated that the Festival committee has already gotten an estimate on a concrete price. From there, plumbing work will be required, along with electro-mechanical solenoid valves, and a pro-logic electrical controller which will need to be housed in a small building.

The overall cost will also be dependent on whether the water for the system just runs off or is recycled. Recycling would require chlorine.

Triplett said the cost for the kind of splash pad they envision could range from $15,000 to $80,000.

“We’re trying to keep it as maintenance-free as possible,” said Triplett.

Last year, the Festival committee donated $5,481 to the city of Farmington, which was used to replace the roofs on the town’s gazebo and bell tower earlier this spring.

Proceeds for 2013 will again go toward the new project.

Triplett said they expect an even larger donation this year, which will put them in motion on the splash pad soon after.

“With a successful Harvest Festival, we hope to break ground on it this next spring,” he said.

The total profit of $8,500 from last year was divided between the $5,500 donation to the city and $3,000 in seed money for this year’s Harvest Festival.