There’s a little time left to add your thoughts to a Hutchinson Parks, Recreation and Community Education survey regarding a potential splash pad project.
The survey — found online at www.surveymonkey.com/r/hutchinson-splash-pad-park — seeks public input regarding design, layout, features and more for a project on the green space near Police Memorial Park, south of Subway, alongside the Crow River. Thoughts and questions can also be directed to Lynn Neumann, director of Hutchinson PRCE, at LNeumann@hutchinsonmn.gov or 320-234-5637.
The Hutchinson City Council approved plans in late 2021 to hire a contractor to help plan a splash pad along with city staff and the PRCE advisory board. It had been one of the most requested amenities from people who provided feedback for the PRCE master plan. Supporters of the project highlighted it as an inexpensive option for local and visiting families, an alternative to the pool for younger kids, and another way to place Hutchinson on the map as a destination for recreation, art and leisure.
“I like the idea that it’s a free amenity for children,” Council Member Mary Christensen said during planning.
Overall, the project was originally estimated to cost roughly $1.28 million, with $825,000 in other options if the council opted for a prefabricated picnic shelter and restroom building. Planning included ideas for additional phases that could potentially fill out the nearby green area.
But the project hit a snag this past January. After discussing layout ideas earlier in the month, City Council members decided to hold off a little longer. With global supply issues causing higher project costs, the city continued to move forward with plans to renovate Burich Arena and build a new police station in order to take care of existing assets, but hold off on a splash pad in order to safeguard the city against future price hikes.
“If we’re being honest, we have the funds to do everything,” Jaunich said. “(Finance director Andy Reid) and my concern is, you do that at a detriment to your bond rating. ... Which doesn’t just affect a project. It really affects all of our projects.”
“I’m disappointed that we can’t do the splash pad as soon as we would like, but I understand that, and we need to keep our rating good,” Christensen said at the time.
At the time, a potential construction date for the splash pad was set in the summer of 2022 or spring of 2023. The PRCE survey information lists the bidding and construction process for the splash pad as beginning in spring 2023, or into the future, following a public input period and the development of construction documents into 2023.
