Efforts to add a new splash pad in Winamac continue to move ahead. During last week’s park board meeting, board member and town manager Brad Zellers reported that the abandoned grain elevator near Logan and Jefferson streets has been demolished, and the splash pad is still on track to be ready by the end of May.
While the splash pad itself is being donated, town officials are working to secure funding for its maintenance. A permanently endowed fund was set up at the Community Foundation of Pulaski County for the maintenance of a future swimming pool. Town Attorney Justin Schramm said that since that project isn’t happening, the foundation has agreed to make it available for splash pad maintenance, instead.
He said that both the Winamac Park Board and Town Council were listed on the pool fund, but the maintenance of the splash pad will fall entirely under the town council’s jurisdiction, since the town council was the group that purchased the elevator property. The park board unanimously agreed to sign its half of the fund agreement over to the town council. The arrangement will be up for the town council’s approval on Monday. Zellers estimated that the fund had a little more than $10,000.
Schramm says the community foundation hasn’t yet released the money that had been collected for the pool’s construction but it did agree to let the town use the money it had committed on the demolition of the grain elevator. The developer of the Mammoth Solar project also expressed interest in donating to the project last year. Schramm says that nothing’s been finalized yet, but discussions could continue once the solar project is closer to the construction phase.
Any additional funding would help with the cost of things like restrooms, benches, sidewalks, parking, and other landscaping features.
