Council Approves Phased-In Splash Pad Project

Although it won't be the size and scope that were originally proposed, the Hellertown Public Works Department will install a children's play area known as a "splash pad" at the borough pool this fall, Borough Council decided June 20.

, council members agreed to support Borough Engineer Bryan Smith's recommendation that the splash pad be installed in phases, with a Phase One layout that will permit expansion of the pad to an outer perimeter at some point in the future.

Smith, of Barry Isett and Associates, said that according to the revised design, the center of the pad will include 24 fountain jets that randomly squirt water for children to play in.

The total size of the Phase One splash pad will be "approximately 21 feet by 36 feet," he said.

LED-lit fountain jets, which are costlier than the standard jets, will be added around the perimeter as part of a future phase, he added.

Several council members expressed disappointment over the fact that the LED-lit jets won't be included in the initial phase of development as originally planned, but said they felt obligated to fulfill a promise made to the community--a promise that involved constructing the spalsh pad this year.

Public Works Director Tom Henshaw was matter-of-fact in his assessment of where things now stand.

"It's a start," he said. "That's the way I look at it."

Councilman Tom Rieger agreed.

"I'm not happy with the how this came about," he said, "but it's a start."

Responding to a question from Rieger, Borough Manager Cathy Kichline said approximately $6,000 has been spent on engineering costs for the project to date.

Council included $41,000 in this year's budget for the project, but the installation of the LED-jets would have caused the total cost to balloon to more than $69,000, Smith said at the meeting.

A motion to approve moving forward with Phase One of the splash pad project was approved unanimously, with council member Gail Nolf absent.

Smith said the unit would be ordered right away, for installation by the public works department after the pool closes at the end of the summer.