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Royal Palm Beach to decommission Veterans Park splash pad; area will be repurposed as passive green space
Summary
Engineers told the advisory board the park's splash-pad vaults and piping have deteriorated and rebuilding was deemed impractical; the village plans to remove central concrete, retain the alligator statues and convert the site to a passive grassy area funded in part by art-in-public-places requirements.
Village engineering staff reported that Veterans Park’s splash pad has suffered tree-root intrusion and aging vaults that made rebuilding cost-prohibitive. The village’s proposal is to decommission the mechanical fountain features, remove the raised concrete area and convert the center to a grassed lawn with hedges and a small tree, while retaining the park’s alligator statues.
Chris Marsh, the village engineer, said the council decided decommissioning was the best option given the proximity of another splash pad at Commons Park and the high cost to rebuild aging infrastructure. Marsh said the redesign will reduce maintenance costs and repurpose the area for passive recreation where families can spread blankets and children can still play on the remaining sculptural elements.
Marsh also noted that the village’s ordinance requires funding for art in public places tied to vertical construction costs, and that those funds will be applied toward art elements for the rec center project.
The advisory board received the report; the Veterans Park repurposing was described as a project the council will consider for approval in a forthcoming council agenda item. No council-level action was taken during the advisory board meeting.
