Paradise splash pad to get a look during budget talks

By Local Journalism Reporter Tyler Waugh

Paradise councillors can expect the splash pad to be a topic of discussion during upcoming budget deliberations given operational issues experienced this past summer.

The splash pad opened for operations in June but was down a few times for maintenance. Most recently, the pad had to be manually operated from August 12 – 21 due to an equipment problem, with sporadic manual operation beyond August 21.

Council was told at its September 1 committee of the whole meeting that the equipment is undergoing an assessment and trouble shooting as staff prepare to shut it down for the season.

“The maintenance and troubleshooting will have to continue into the fall and likely it seems we may have to have this as a budget discussion item in the near future,” said councillor Erin Furlong, who fielded questions about the splash pad as council lead for infrastructure and engineering. “Because it is a great asset to our town and well-loved by everyone that uses it, it is something that we obviously hear a lot of questions about.”

Councillor Glen Carew asked what the anticipated lifespan is for a splash pad and was told it is around 10 years. The Paradise splash pad was officially opened in August 2016.

 “I guess we’re at that time now where we’re going to have to budget some money to do some fixes. The splash pad is certainly well used,” said Deputy Mayor Kimberley Street.

The splash pad was built at a cost of $4 million with funding from all three levels of government. Located at Paradise Park, it includes spray nozzles, a pipe rainbow, fine mist spray and a dunk bucket, and uses water that is recycled and treated for reuse in the water play area.