A mistake that has caused a disappointing delay now has presented some good news for Muscatatuck Park in North Vernon.
The park expected to have a splash pad open by July, located near the playground. A splash pad — also known as a spray pool — is an area for water play that has little or no standing water — which reduces threats of drowning — and may include nozzles, arches, showers or fountains.
It won’t be ready this year, though, but when it is ready next year a new bathroom facility will be open nearby, Muscatatuck Park Director Greg Martin said.
Construction on the Splash Pad was completed in early July, but a final inspection by state authorities showed flaws in the construction design.
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“There is no way around it for health and safety reasons; there are things in the construction that must be corrected before we can open the splash pad,” Martin said.
A regulation requiring a bathroom facility to be located within 300 feet of the splash pad was one of the problem issues discovered by the Office of Homeland Security Health and Safety’s during the final inspection.
“We were simply not aware of that regulation, but thanks to a very generous anonymous donor we will be able to build the new bathroom by next summer,” Martin said.
Construction of the bathroom facility will cost about $125,000, and the amount of the anonymous donation would cover most of that cost, Martin said.
“In the long-run, the new bathroom near the campground will enhance the park, so that is a silver lining of this situation,” Martin said, adding that it has been a good year at the park in spite of weather and other issues.
The park’s usage is up by 16,000 visits, he added.
Several other water recreation projects around the county have been delayed. The opening of the new North Vernon City Pool and the opening of the new Tripton Park in North Vernon were delayed until next summer because of weather-related delays in construction.
