By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
When the City of Great Bend released a survey to allow citizens to rank
what “quality of life” projects they would like accomplished, the top
vote-getter was a city-wide cleanup. The city-wide cleanup is currently
underway and will continue through Sunday, Oct. 2. The item that received the
second-most votes was the installation of a splash pad.
Collecting revenue from a .15% sales tax for “quality of life” projects, the
Great Bend City Council is expected to approve a 10-year capital improvement
plan at Monday’s meeting. On the list of projects is a new splash pad in 2023.
City Administrator Kendal Francis projected $240,000 for the splash pad.
"It's a large construction project with a large concrete pad," said Francis. "Depending on the features, whether you're recycling the water or it's draining off, there's a lot of things that come into this decision that drive the cost substantially one way or the other."
Francis said the plan includes a large splash pad with new amenities. Drainage
options will factor into where the splash pad will be located. Veterans
Memorial Park and near the swimming pool at Brit Spaugh Park have both been
considered locations.