When the City of Russellville's new splash pad is completed later this year, it will “easily be the nicest in the state” and one of the top splash pads in the Southeast, according to a representative of Great Southern Recreation, the contractor hired to construct the pad.
The Russellville City Council voted March 15 to approve the $444,729.50 project. $309,000 of those funds will come from Pilgrim's 'Hometown Strong' program and the remaining balance from the city's 2019 Capital Improvement Fund.
Pilgrim's made the donation last year as part of its national 'Hometown Strong' initiative that will see the company inject more than $20 million into the cities and communities that have Pilgrim's facilities.
“This is something we've talked about for some time now,” said Russellville Mayor David Grissom. “And now we're ready to move forward, thanks to Pilgrim's.”
Jonas Bailey, a sales representative for Great Southern Recreation, told the council the baseball-themed splash pad will be a 'marquis project' for his company.
The design will include ample space for seating and shading, Bailey said. The splash pad will be constructed with a flow-through system that doesn't recirculate water.
“All water used will be fresh water that will be drained off to waste,” Bailey said.
He said construction of the project will begin later this spring, with a goal of opening the splash pad before the annual Fourth of July Jam on Sloss Lake hosted by the City of Russellville.
The splash pad will be constructed between the ball fields at the John Blackwell Sports Complex and the west side of Sloss Lake.
Grissom said plans call for the facility to be open from Memorial Day through Labor Day, on a similar schedule as the city pool located behind Russellville High School stadium.
The pad will be approximately 6,000 square feet with a Tuffcoat surface made of a rubber non-skid coating.
The city will also pay for a four-inch water line and power lines to the splash pad as well as a fence around it with a main entrance.
In other agenda items, the council:
--approved the hiring of Kyle Knight as a patrol officer with the Russellville Police Department.
--approved the promotion of Jake Tompkins to Captain in the Russellville Police Department.
--accepted a letter of resignation from patrol officer Krista McLennon and authorized advertising for a vacancy for patrol officer.
--approved an ordinance to amend the job descriptions in the Russellville Street Department and to adopt the Heavy Equipment Operator/Driver, Solid Waste and Municipal Court Magistrate positions. The laborer position in the Street Department no longer requires a CDL, and equipment operators no longer must have a high school degree of GED equivalent.
--authorized Grissom to sign a grant application for federal assistance of $9,000 for the Russellville Municipal Airport. The funds will be used for costs related to operations, personnel, cleaning, sanitization and janitorial services to combat the spread of pathogens at the airport.
--approved waiver of the Payment in Lieu of Taxes from the Russellville Housing Authority.
The next regular meeting of the Russellville City Council will be April 5, 2021, with work session at 6 p.m., and meeting to follow.
