City makes splash with pad approval

GONZALES — Gonzales City Council, Tuesday night, voted to approve a $125,000 Gonzales Economic Development Corporation grant to the Gonzales Noon Lions, for use toward a splash pad.

The grant passed GEDC in May, after much board opposition and a lengthy deliberation. After GEDC approved the grant, the issue had to go before council twice. In June, a public forum was ordered for public comment and the July resolution date was set.

Initially, GEDC had three opponents of the grant, board members James Ryan, Hector Porras and Steve Sucher. Sucher later changed his mind about the project and voted in favor of the grant. Ryan and Porras held tight.

In May, GEDC's Tommy Cox made the motion to move forward with the funding and board member Dewey Smith made the second, which carried the board into discussion.

Ryan said the EDC's annual income is approximately $628,000. He said from that income the corporation has an administrative burden of $185,000, as well as $115,000 payment for the JB Wells Expo Center and contributions to the Main Street Summer Concert Series. Ryan said these obligations leave the corporation with only $235,000 for discretionary spending each year. He had reservations about the total amount of money the corporation has to commit to the Lions Club project and would prefer that funding come from the $1.5 million reserve coffer.

Sucher said he would like to see the City of Gonzales "put some skin in the game" upfront. Gonzales Mayor and ex officio board member, Connie Kacir assured Sucher that the city has taken on the obligation of operation and maintenance of the splash pad — to the tune of approximately $20,000 annually – in perpetuity.

At the council meeting, City Manager Sean Lally spoke in favor of the splash pad and the positive impact it could have for Gonzales, as a quality of life tool and an income tool for the community.

The vote Tuesday night was unanimous. Council was in full agreement that the park is a quality of life addition for residents and an attractive destination for day trippers.

The splash pad VORTEX has designed for Gonzales comes with 16 play areas and 32 different water effects.

The pad will be located in Lions Park and is approximately 3,500 square feet. The pad could, under health department regulations, accommodate 350 children for play, with 10 square feet per child to play but recommendations are to allow 25 square feet per child, for a more enjoyable experience, so roughly 140 children could play comfortably.

Features are to include a sail boat with a water cannon, a turtle silhouette, a rotation fish, bell silhouettes, spidey sprays – with water "legs" like a spider – water jets, water geysers and many other sprays and water dumps.

For toddlers, there will be low-flow "Water Journey" where water can be dammed and pooled for shallow play, giving children a look at life-like stream behavior as water encounters small creeks, flood plains, ripples and cascades.

The splash pad is set to run on a time clock and by activation. When children arrive to play they simply press a button and the pad begins to spray for play.

The splash pad has a command center with a controller and elaborate filtration system, which tests the water and will stop the splashpad from functioning, if a defect or contaminant is detected.

The pad is water and energy efficient, as the design reclaims and reuses 98 percent of the water it pumps and filters it. Water loss is from evaporation, wind and diaper/suit absorption is minimized by an outer buffer.

The pad at its busiest will push 100 gallons of water per minute. If cycling under less demanding play situations the pad will push and reuse about 70 gallons per minute.

Other features of the pad are: ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance, rust proof and UV resistant stainless steel features, bolt cover to stop little ones from stubbing their toes.

Funds are being raised for this Lions Club Centennial project through the Gonzales Noon Lions Club Foundation, which was formed exclusively for charitable purposes and to offer support to the community of Gonzales.

The club has raised more than $200,000 of the money needed for the $360,000 project, with $100,000 of that coming by way of a Lions Club International Foundation grant; and another $72,000 coming from Gonzales Area Development Corporation. Donations and sponsorships are still be accepted. Kitchen Pride Mushroom Farm recently donated $20,000.

Council also approved GEDC funding of $7,213.57 for zero radius mowers for use at Independence Golf Course and Independence RV Park; and approved another $8,542 in GEDC funding for a Kubota tractor for use at JB Wells Park.

Other resolution items approved were: Lally entering into a five-year engineering study agreement with LCRA; A resolution of support for repairs to the Lake Wood Dam; Tax resale property at 808 Linert Street; Appointing Gonzales County Tax Assessor/Collector Crystal Cedillo to calculate and prepare the city's effective and rollback tax rates; Sale of alcohol, closure of streets, as well as permission for helicopter rides at the annual Come And Take It celebration; and authorizing Lally to execute an agreement with Bio-West Inc. For the Gonzales Hydroelectric Dam relicensing project, environmental surveys and water quality monitoring.

Council tabled the elimination of dumpsters at the City Public Works building, for further research.

The next regularly-scheduled meeting of Gonzales City Council is 6 p.m., Tuesday, August 1, at Gonzales Municipal Building, 820 St. Joseph Street.