Rosendin

RAMONA MCCALLISTER – Various features have been added to the splash pad recently and work is underway to connect electrical and plumbing between the restroom (top right) and the splash pad.

Work on Prineville’s new splash pad has picked up recently as different contractors have converged on the project to push it toward completion.

Already installed is the concrete pad itself, and a concrete restroom/equipment room built by Joe Floyd and Sons. Anderson Pool Works has completed the plumbing work from the equipment room to the pad and installed all of the plumbing equipment necessary to make the attraction functional.

More recently, Anderson Pool Works has been on-site installing eye-catching features for the splash pad. And once Rosendin Electric ran power to the pumps, Anderson was able to power up the system and all of its equipment.

Project coordinator Wayne Looney of the Prineville Kiwanis Club had hoped the splash pad would be done in late June, but unexpected circumstances have pushed the completion date later into the summer.

“One of the primary reasons it has taken longer than expected is I’m a total novice as a contractor on something of this scale,” he said.

Looney went on to note that the project involves pro bono work from several different local businesses, and those businesses had to find time to do the work in between projects for paying customers.

“The splash pad would not have happened without what they have done,” he stressed.

The Kiwanis Club initially announced plans to build a splash pad in Prineville in September 2017. At the time, the club’s hope was to complete the structure in time for kids to use during the summer of 2018.

Different hurdles along the way related to funding and securing of the Stryker Field site slowed the progress of the project, so while work began on the splash pad in June 2018, the completion date was pushed back to this summer.

Looney did not give a specific completion date for the project but said he is still hopeful that they can turn the water on and invite kids to enjoy the splash pad this summer. When that time comes, they will start with a soft opening and wait until later to host a dedication ceremony.

He can hardly wait and said he empathizes with the people in the community who have eagerly asked when the project will finally be done.

“They want to see it done. They want to use,” he remarked. “I am right at the top of that list.”