North Judson officials are looking to scale back the size of the proposed splash pad at Norwayne Field to accommodate for a restroom facility they’d like to build in the area as well.
At Monday night’s Town Council Meeting Bill Smith from Vortex Aquatic Structures returned to field questions from town officials as well as meeting attendees. Smith had previously provided the council members with a rendering of a splash pad that would cost around $60,000, which was the maximum amount they said they’d be willing to spend.
Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe noted that though they initially provided him with that figure, after considering the fact that a restroom facility would be an ideal addition to incorporate into this park project, he wondered if the size of the pad could be minimized a little.
He noted that while they do have the $60,000 budgeted for 2019, it would probably be better to use a portion of it for the restroom facility rather than spending it all on the splash pad. Clerk-Treasurer Rowe added that he’s also been investigating possible grant opportunities that could be pursued for this purpose.
Councilman James Young noted that since there is a lot of community support for this project, they could look for local contributions. He said there’s even a grant out there that matches local contributions raised through crowd-funding efforts.
Councilman John Rowe added that while ultimately a restroom facility would be great there, they could always just put up temporary portable toilets until a permanent structure could be fully funded.
Members asked the Vortex rep if he could come up with a design that would cost $50,000 and another one that would be $40,000. Smith said he would need a few weeks to prepare the new renderings but he’d be able to provide the council members with their requests.
He explained that it’s not at all uncommon for municipalities to ask for multiple designs before landing on one. He also emphasized that the company likes to work directly with the officials to customize their designs in order to ensure the splash pad is financially feasible and specifically fits local needs of a community.
The council will continue discussions over these park additions, as well a possible funding options outside of council meetings, as well as within them.
