Sartell Officials to Move Forward With Splash Pad

SARTELL -- A new pool will not be the aquatic feature placed at Watab Park in Sartell.

During Monday's city council meeting, the council recommended staff to move forward with a splash pad to replace the deteriorating wading pool.

City Planner Nate Keller says with the council's recommendation they will now bring the options too the residents for input, similar to the playground equipment.

We will do a similar outreach to what we did with the playground designs. We will reach out to the schools and get input on specific play features the public would like to see as part of the new design.

During the meeting, staff also unveiled the new designs for the playground equipment voted on by the residents back in September. The designs did call for keeping the existing swing set, however the council voted to upgrade the swings as part of the playground improvements.

The council directed staff to keep the splash pad costs to roughly $175,000.

Keller says if all goes well they hope to start some of the construction this fall.

Mayor Ryan Fitzthum says while this is a great addition to the park with the budget they have, they are continually looking at bringing a larger aquatic feature, such as a pool, to Sartell when the budget allows.