Town water attraction still in the works

For many kids, parents, and water-loving adults, there is only one place to beat the summer heat - in the water. Splash parks have been the latest trend in many towns across the nation for summer relief and Thermopolis locals are ready to get on board.

What some may not know is that the town elected officials are already on board and have been researching the best water feature for our town. 

A splash park was first discussed at town council nearly a year and a half ago when the city received unexpected funds from the state.

At that time, 2/3 of the funds were spent on operational expenses and the remaining $100,000 was saved to give something fun back to the community. High on the list of fun, give-back projects for the town was a splash park.

Multiple council members had visited splash parks in Ten Sleep, Cowley, and other locations and envisioned a similar project for Thermopolis.

Upon taking office, Mayor Mike Mortimore, along with council members, began splash park research but quickly ran into speed bumps including higher than expected building and maintenance costs and the public's concern for the aesthetics of Bicentennial Park (the chosen location for the water feature to boost downtown revitalization efforts).

These comments prompted Mayor Mortimore to present a different water feature to the council - a fountain-type water feature that would be more cost efficient and maintenance-friendly, but still be beautiful and fun for kids to play in.

With involvement from the town engineer and plans drawn up, estimates for the new water feature have been around $130,000 - but there is still a lot to be done. 

The mayor plans to reach out to the state for health considerations, finalize design plans for the water feature, and request final cost estimates before requesting additional funds from the council and breaking ground on this project.

The current time line for the town's planned water feature in Bicentennial Park would break ground spring 2016 and be running by summer.

The water feature would bring only minor changes to the current layout of the park and would take the place of the small hill.

Recirculated water would shoot from underground pumps in a whimsical fashion that would offer water play or an enjoyable fountain show that could be enjoyed in the day or night with LED lighting.

During the winter the area could be flooded and frozen to offer ice skating. From a financial viewpoint, the planned water feature offers low construction and maintenance costs while bringing the town the fun, give-back project that allows water lovers to beat the heat. 

Recently, however, there have been conversations on social media from local citizens who wish to build their own splash park similar to neighboring communities' in a different location.

To update this group of concerned citizens, the mayor wrote a statement summarizing the work that had been done to this point.

Mortimore commented that if this group came to the town council and made a pitch for their own project, he would consider donating the town's allocated funds towards the project. That action would halt all previous town plans. 

Overall, Mayor Mortimore stated the project has received a lot of really positive feedback. He described, "It'll be a nice attraction to bring people downtown. It's gonna be great for kids and for everybody.  You'll even see adults run through there sometimes when its hot out."