By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
While creating a city-wide cleanup was the top vote getter in a survey for
“quality of life” projects in Great Bend, building a large splash pad was a
close second. A water splash pad exists on the south side of the Barton County
Courthouse, but over 1,000 citizens voted that they would like to see a featured
splash pad.
The Great Bend “quality of life” sales tax committee, formed to make
recommendations on how the .15% quality of life sales tax collections are spent,
determined they would start saving funds over the next three years to build a
splash pad that could cost approximately $200,000.
Sales tax committee member Jacquie Disque imagined the splash pad would be
placed at Veterans Memorial Park.
"In my mind the location should be Vet's Park," said Disque. "I know people, including childcare providers, take their kids to Ellinwood and Larned to use the splash pads."
While money is saved for the splash pad over time, the committee is considering
projects to be completed sooner such as a basketball court and pickleball
courts at Brit Spaugh Park, climbing wall and stocking lakes with more fish.