Sure, the temperature is expected to dip below levels acceptable for any sane man or beast in the coming days, so let’s think about summer.
Donna Houser, a long-time Iola Community Involvement Task Force/PRIDE member, is about to ramp up fundraising efforts for a new splash park in town.
An account for the splash park has been set up through Your Community Foundation in an important step in the process, because any donations to YCF are tax-deductible, Houser explained.
A splash park CITF members envision would cost about $400,000.
Houser’s goal is to raise half of that, with the thought that $200,000 could qualify the city for a Community Development Block Grant.
“It’s a lot of money, but we want to get a really nice one,” Houser said.
Final designs are still way into the future, but the splash park would almost certainly entail a concrete pad filled with an assortment of water sprayers, both from the nozzles at ground level, and from overhanging fountains. An activator button triggers the water.
“What we want is something that’s a little different for kids to enjoy, but something that would be a neat addition to our town,” she said.
AFTER months of discussing the matter, CITF agreed the splash park would be best suited for Meadowbrook Park because of its centralized location in town; available infrastructure such as water service; and its elevation allows for proper water drainage.
Their original hopes to have it closer to downtown never materialized, and a splash park cannot be built in a flood zone, so constructing it at Riverside Park is off the table.
“You saw what happened in 2007, when the park became a bowl of water,” Houser said, referring to Iola’s last great flood. “A splash park can get wet, but being underwater like that would ruin it.”
HOUSER has become something of a local legend for her fundraising endeavors. She spearheaded a yearslong campaign to improve the football stadium at Riverside Park. (Her late husband, Ray, was an Iola High School football coach).
“I’m not shy about asking for money,” she chuckled. “I figure people will give me one of two answers: yes or no.”
Even before the YCF account was established, Houser had been reaching out to donors who assisted with the stadium project. She’s brought in about $15,000 thus far.
Iolan Jim Smith set up a billboard for CITF to monitor the fundraising in the pocket park west of City Hall on Jackson Avenue.
