Platte City residents will have the remainder of the month to give input on a proposed splash pad/spray ground that could open next summer.
An open house was held at the Civic Center on Thursday, May 30, with employees from Waters Edge Aquatic Design and SFS Architecture present. About 20 people came out for the event to listen to ideas and ask questions about the proposal at the site of the former Rising Star Elementary School.
The city has a link to a survey on the website at plattecity.org that will run through June 30.
The data raised will then help shape what the concept drawings will look like and in July, the parks and recreation committee will see the initial ideas and the priorities for the project will be decided.
“We think it is a concept, a long ways away, but if 25 percent of what we think it accurate, in 10 to 15 years, we are hitting a home run,”said Platte City mayor Frank Offutt. “We are throwing the ball into the future with what we have with Harrell Farrell (Park), the Civic Center and Rising Star. It is a good neighborhood concept that grows from that.”
“We will start this 100 mile journey with a small step.”
Brian Garvey of SFS noted the four-part project would feature a spray ground/splash pad, an inclusive playground, a shelter to host parties/events and a permanent restroom facility.
The goal, Garvey stated, is to get started on the project as soon as weather allows after the council approves a contract. He said construction would have to start in the winter to be ready to open in either July or August 2020.
The goal of the survey is to see what the priorities will be, which will in turn impact the cost associated with the project.
Garvey noted there will be a master plan on the property that could also feature a new community center — to replace the aging Civic Center — as well as a full-blown aquatic center but those projects are a decade or further down the road.
The splash pad/spray ground feature could be placed where it could be next to an aquatic center, similar to the setup of the Alligator Creek complex in O’Fallon, Mo. A splash pad is always open to the public, free and can be accessed when the aquatic center isn’t open, but the proximity of it is a plus.
Michael Fisher of Waters Edge said research is being done to see how the city would get the water and pressure to the addition and what would make the most financial sense.
The survey can be accessed at www.plattecity.org.