GATE CITY — Grogan Park in Gate City could have a new splash pad by next summer if town officials are able to identify a source of funding to move the project forward.
Although the project is still in the initial planning stages, officials said they are taking a serious look at how to come up with enough money to cover the splash pad’s construction costs.
If built, Gate City Mayor Frances Perry said the splash pad would give local children and their families one more reason to visit the town’s park during the summer months.
“We don’t have a swimming pool over here, and the children don’t have an opportunity to get to Natural Tunnel or Kingsport to go swimming,” Perry said. “If we had that at our park, it would be such an addition and something great for the kids to have in the summertime. So it’s just become one of my goals to get one of those built at our park.”
Although building a splash pad would be more affordable than constructing a city pool, Gate City Town Manager Jeremy Keller said the project’s cost is still the main obstacle the town has to overcome.
“The maintenance is lower, the liability is much lower, the cost of building is lower, but it’s still very expensive,” Keller said. “All of this is dependent on the price of the project and available funds. Right now, we don’t have any quotes or prices back yet on what we’re looking for. It’s still in the planning phase.”
Keller said the facility would be loosely based on Kingsport’s splash pad at Riverview Park and built in a way that would easily allow future expansion.
“It’s all dependent on price, but we’d like to have something comparable to Kingsport,” Keller said. “We know we can’t do it all at once, but we’d like to have the potential to expand on what we do get in the spring.”
The splash pad would likely be located next to the restrooms in an open area by the park’s main playground, Keller said.
Because money is one of the main issues that will determine if the project will go forward or not, Keller said the town is looking at a number of funding sources, including grants.
“It gives me the fall and winter to look for some grant money and see if there’s anything out there,” Keller said. “I haven’t found anything yet, but there’s still that possibility.”
Perry said the town and its parks committee might also look at the possibility of soliciting donations to come up with the necessary funding.
“One of the things we are hoping for is to get some community donations for this,” Perry said. “Maybe we can get some corporate donations or have some private individuals that wish to donate. We would welcome any donations, and I know the Gate City Civitan Club is going to donate to it.
“The size of the splash pad we can build will depend on the amount of money we have to spend.”