$25,000 donation earmarked for Dunpark cooling feature; city explores misting stations and smaller options

Vice President Sierra asked the council for an update on a donation from St. Joseph's Parish intended to fund a cooling feature at Dunpark. Council members and city staff said the $25,000 gift is still held, but that a full splash pad would cost substantially more.

"$25,000, very generous, but not gonna get you a splash pad," said Director (public works/planning) and the mayor noted engineers and vendors estimated the cheapest small splash pad at roughly $130,000. He and parks staff said the donation could be used toward lower-cost interventions such as misting stations, portable "umbrella" water features or transportation to an existing splash pad for residents who lack access.

Park staff reported the pastor's original intent was misting stations rather than a full splash pad; the pastor had shown designs costing about $7,000 each and suggested three units could be purchased with $25,000. Parks staff and a landscape architect also discussed a larger umbrella-style water feature with an estimated unit cost of about $12,000 plus plumbing and installation costs.

Why it matters: The donation is targeted to cooling resources for children and park users on the city's west side; installation choices carry different capital and infrastructure costs and different operational and supervision needs.

Next steps: City staff will obtain price quotes and infrastructure estimates, coordinate with public works on water-line and frost-line requirements, and report back to the council with options and cost estimates.

Quotes in this article are from council and staff during the Dunpark agenda item.