City Council Moves Forward with Jordan Park Splash Pad
June 5th, 2009 by Joe BurgessThe Monticello City Council’s regular meeting June 4 centered around a lively discussion of issues pertaining to plans for the new splash pad at Jordan Park. While all council members said they approved of installing a splash pad at the park, several members expressed concern about the presented resolutions and other issues.
The agenda included three items pertaining to the Jordan Park splash pad: (1) a resolution to authorize the construction of the pad; (2) consideration from the council to re-designate money set aside for the swimming pool at Jordan Park to the splash pad; and (3) a resolution to authorize the mayor to execute a contract for professional services for construction of the splash pad.
As the first resolution came to the table, councilmember Tim Chase requested it be read in full. Chase said, “I’m all for a splash pad; it will be a good thing for Jordan Park and our community.” However, Chase said he did not agree with the entire resolution.
In addition to authorizing the construction of the splash pad and the request of bids for construction, the resolution would allocate $375,000 in funds set back for construction of a swimming pool at Jordan Park to construction of the splash pad.
Chase’s concerns pertained to a portion of the final paragraph, which states the mayor is authorized to develop plans for the construction of the splash pad for an amount of up to $450,000. Chase said he wanted the council to be included in selecting a bid, and that he did not think the resolution should include a fixed price.
Mayor Joe Rogers said he is trying to get authorization to get the project started, and that he will make no decisions without involving the council. He said if the city starts now the splash pad could open June 1, 2010.
During the City Council meeting April 23, ETC Engineering and Architects, Inc. presented a design for the splash pad, as well as two cost estimates. ETC quoted $600,000 for a 15,000 square-foot facility and $450,000 for a 10,000 square-foot facility.
According to Rogers, the $450,000 quote will include all the features detailed in the diagram, which includes a concrete slab with several water features enclosed by an ornamental fence, as well as benches inside and outside the fence.
The city already has a little over $375,000 allocated in the budget; therefore, it would need approximately $75,000 more to install the water feature. Rogers said he did not want to spend more than the specified $450,000 quoted by ETC Engineering and Architects, Inc.
Council members Claudia Hartness and Carolyn Brown brought the issue of supervision and plumbing concerns to the table.
Hartness said, due to the vandalism that destroyed the original swimming pool at Jordan Park, she wanted assurance that the park would have supervision either by the local police or by an employed park manager. Ward 1 council members disagreed with the statement that vandalism rendered the pool useless.
According to Sherrie Gillespie and Al Peer, the city took parts from the Jordan Park pool to repair the City Park pool because of lack of use at Jordan Park. Peer said it was “cannibalism, not vandalism” that rendered the Jordan Park pool useless.
Gillespie said Jordan Park has no more vandalism than any other parks in the area. She also said the community is involved and willing to look after the park. Chase added, one of the good things about the park is it doesn’t need supervision. He said the city has to have good faith in the community to take care of it.
Beverly Hudson noted that other cities run splash pads without the extra expense of employees, and Monticello should be able to as well. Brown added that the Paragould director said the city police were more than willing to make rounds at the park, and the Monticello Police Department would probably do the same.
“We need to run it just like McCloy Park,” Hartness said, “we need someone down there to supervise it.”
The council did not make a definitive decision pertaining to supervision at the park once the splash pad is installed. However, Brown noted the potential for local law enforcement supervision, while Gillespie said the community would also be willing to look after the new feature.
Councilmember Carolyn Brown raised concerns over the plumbing required for the splash pad. Brown said she spoke with splash pad directors in Paragould and Jonesboro pertaining to plumbing issues and solutions.
According to Brown, the director in Jonesboro said they were not happy with the plumbing. She also spoke with the director in Paragould, who said they employed local plumbers to maintain the splash pad. The use of local plumbers allows for more immediate repairs. Rogers said the bid is item per item, so it would be up to the local plumbers to place a bid on the project.
Amid the discussions, Clifton Bond made a motion to adopt the resolution as is, which raised scattered applause from the audience. During the first round of voting to accept the resolution, Hubbard, Hartness, Brown, Chase, and Hudson voted negative. Hudson said the resolution did not correspond with the agenda.
City Attorney Bill Daniels suggested the council move to the third splash pad item on the agenda, which authorizes the mayor to execute a contract for professional services for construction of a splash pad at Jordan Park, so the council moved to the second resolution
The council approved the resolution 7-1, authorizing the mayor to execute the contract for ETC Engineering and Architects, Inc. for services pertaining to the construction of the splash pad at Jordan Park.
No action was taken on agenda items 9a and 9b, which include a resolution to authorize the construction of a splash pad at Jordan Park and to re-designate money set aside for the swimming pool at Jordan Park to the construction of a splash pad.
Choose another article
Newer article: The Truth about Diet Soda
Older article: City Council Discusses New Fire Department
Monticello is being compared to Paragould and Jonesboro concering the splash park and I am sure our police officers would be more that willing to provide supervison like the Paragould and Jonesboro officers if they had the man power to do so. Wonder if they have more than two officers on duty on Sunday nights. The problems won’t be during the hours the park is open, It will be after dark and when the park is closed.While we are making comparisons wonder what these two cities pay their officers and what does the police and fire dept. there look like and what type of equipement do they have? Just wondering since we seem to be comparing the two.
what are the plans to finish the sports complex?
What a joke. We “discuss” a new fire station but move ahead with a money pit like the splash park.
How much is the water bill going to be for the splash park? What a waste!
The fire station that Monticello has now is a joke. It is so run down and tiny. Those guys put their lives on the line but the city council only cares about a “splash park.”
I wonder if any council members have any stake in the splash park? Share holders or some type of gain from the architects, contractors that build it, etc? Or possibly a family member or good friend stands to gain? Why the push to build a splash park when we already have a pool and are in such dire need of new public safety facilities?
And the cost of building such a place [splash park] doesn’t actually benefit the community financially? What’s the water bill per month going to cost as well as upkeep?
I just feel we need to worry about our infrastructure first.
Excellent point Ms. Hollinger! Since we are comparing, let us look at the two cities fire and police department salaries and equipment as well as their stations!
http://www.jonesboro.org/Fire/fire.htm
Jonesboro (according to their website) employ’s 112 full time uniformed personnel on the fire department. They have 7 stations. Jonesboro has a population of 59,358 according to the 2005 census. The median income for a household in the city was $32,196, and the median income for a family was $42,082. About 12.9% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the poverty line.
The Paragould Fire Department has four fire stations, six engines, one ladder truck, one rescue truck, one tanker/pumper, one brush truck, two hazmat response vehicles, a mobile communications trailer and has a new engine on order to be placed at the new #3 station. Paragould population is around 25,000 (similar to size as El Dorado.) The median income for a household in the city was $30,815, and the median income for a family was $39,431. About 8.4% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line
We have like 6 to 10 full time and 2 stations? Monticello has a population of 9,327. There is quite a difference. The median income for a household in the city was $26,821, and the median income for a family was $36,615. About 14.8% of families and 20.1% of the population were below the poverty line,
You can’t really compare the 3 cities. They are not similar in size or economics. Lets get real! We NEED a fire station. They WANT a splash park.
(information gathered from city websites and wikipedia)
I can’t wait !!!!!way to go Mayor !!!!Thank you for careing about our kids.
This is one of the biggest mistakes for Monticello to undertake. I just can’t believe our mayor and city council would even consider such a waste in funds spent on a frivolus splash park. Why is there a need for a splash park? It isn’t increasing any revenue, jobs, or promoting any industry. All it will increase is water bills, more stress on an already overloaded police force and seems to be promoting some type of hidden agenda.
What is going on? Can’t any one see all of the issues involved or do we just want to cower down to peer pressure to support a wasteful splash pad? Why can’t the council along with the mayor see the need to stop the misappropriation of funds? There are many more “pressing issues” at hand than a money pit splash park.
I have commented on this several times asking the same questions but never getting any answers. It seems to me the town needs to CLEAN UP, REPAIR, AND MAINTAIN what we already have more than build another money pit to add to the burden of our civic officers.
If the splash park is going to be maintained by the “community” the same as the area already is then we are in HUGE trouble!!! That is one of the most depressing areas of our “city” already. It is a shame we have to bring in potential industry, visitors, etc. through there if they were to use the airport or if we were trying to persuade them to use the other money pit of the industrial park. If I was a potential industry and saw how the “city” has allowed for such decay and despair, I would look to another town due to the neglect from the “city” and “community”.
It is time for the mayor and city council to wake up, smell the coffee, and make decisions to IMPROVE Monticello, not just waste (spend) money on trivial matters as a splash pad. Come on!!! I thought you were business people that knew how to make money….not waste it down the drains of a splash pool!!!
depressing areas????a new baseball field and a new park how is that depressing???the airport is getting a fence to keep the deer out.we will be getting a new fire department can’t do everything at once.Be HAPPY for the kids.
You can wash and dress a pig in a tux and its still a pig. How about high crime area instead of depressing?
Sure the new ball park and the new fence around the airport looks great. But don’t stop there…LOOK at the abandoned buildings left to decay. There are some that are still in use that are not much better shape.
By all means let spend half a million dollars for a very low percentage of Monticello’s “kids”….that makes GREAT business sense. Why add to the already overwhelmed and understaffed police force? Why not spend the money for a new fire station? Oh, thats right, it doesn’t help the kids….seems a little misguided and lack of backbone to me….but alas, it doesn’t matter what I think. Our wonderful mayor and city council has already cowered down to the bullying tactics and peer pressure.
Just remember when there is a REAL emergency and the police can’t react fast enough due to the need to “monitor” a splash pad…..it could just be you are the one in need. Hmmmm, maybe now your eyes are opened.
What bullying tactic and peer pressure???from who???Maybe you should run for office sence you think you can do better.
Know he does not need to run for any office. He does not care for the children here in monticello.
Would it be a problem if it was built on the highway with the Sports Complex? Or McCloy Park? It seems to me that the problem you have is the area where it is being built. The area in which you are talking is around Oakland Str where the lawns are kept and there is little trash and the residents do pick it up. I have seem other “community” areas that wasn’t so tidy and it wasn’t in the “community” of which you speak. Every youth in this time need something postive to do, not just in certain areas. McCloy park has a alot of trash on the parking lot and in the park area so it is not just a certain part of town. I think they shoud have rebuilt the pool but since that did not happen I am glad to see the Splash Pad coming!! I thought that they are going to build new fire station? And trust me, “monitoring” will not be a problem because they already heavily “monitor” that part of the “community” it wouldn’t be that much more effort or time since they basically stay in that “communtiy” anyway while other part of the “communities” can do what they want!!
watch what you say GOD don’t like UGLY.
Other parts of the community can do what they want, hmmmm….
Arrests made or tickets written at All Star Sports Club, at McCloy Park, at Wal Mart, at Waf L Inn, at Huddle House, at Park Ridge, at Western Pines, Vivian Manor, Old Warren Road, Hwy 425, the list goes on and on but I didnt realize all of these areas were in the same area that “honest” is talking about. Just which part of the community gets to do what they want?
Good Gosh let the kids have some fun already.. I’d rather go to the splash pad than go to the library, and there’s probably nothing wrong with where the fire station is, and I noticed there’s not much to do here anyway so I vote for fun. So what if there’s a water bill. So what….pay it