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Belgrade explores splash-pad upgrades, summer pool option and 80-acre park purchase
Summary
Parks staff proposed expanding the busy splash pad, possibly adding a summer-only pool, and discussed acquiring 80 acres near the wastewater facility as a long-term community park; staff warned the land purchase would require substantial capital and tradeoffs with other projects.
Parks staff presented three capital ideas for council consideration: upgrade and expand the existing splash pad, consider a summer-only pool adjacent to the splash pad, and pursue acquisition of about 80 acres near the wastewater treatment facility for a large future community park.
Staff said the current splash pad routinely hosts about 50 children at peak times, while the equipment is designed for about 15; staff recommended doubling the splash pad footprint and upgrading pumps and equipment to meet demand. The bigger splash pad would continue to operate without lifeguards but would require larger pumps and possibly capital investment this year.
A second option under discussion is a seasonal (summer-only) pool near the splash pad. Staff noted this would provide more aquatics options but would require lifeguard staffing, a point-of-sale system and operational policies—raising ongoing operating costs—and therefore would be a larger budget commitment than splash-pad upgrades alone.
Long-term parkland: staff described a potential strategy to acquire 80 acres near the wastewater plant for a community park and replacement ball fields if the school district builds on its current fields. Staff proposed investigating legislative avenues and partnership/funding approaches to reduce purchase costs (including requesting state help) but cautioned the acquisition would likely require issuing debt and could absorb available capital for multiple years.
Other notes: the school district is using Manicouchi Park for an FFA school gardening program with airport approval; staff said work is underway.
No formal funding decisions were made at the workshop; staff sought direction on priorities and noted trade-offs between near-term splash-pad improvements and longer-term land acquisition.
