Page City Council authorized paying $101,382 to J2 Engineering for splash pad design and engineering. J2 will work with city staff and a committee of volunteer moms to decide features and theme preferences. Construction for the new splash pad is expected to begin early spring. 

“This is the first step to start the engineering,” City Manager Darren Coldwell said.

Counselor Brian Carey said, “I have heard comments from other citizens that we certainly don't want anything – they would prefer not to have something, I'll just say schlocky, tacky you know that type of stuff, Disney World, and that if it can be a Page-appropriate, you know matching our landscape or however that works, river running.”

“You have to remember, it is going to be a kids’ theme,” said Coldwell. “It's not going to be an adult park by any means. We'll see what the moms think are the funnest, and we'll go with that.”

Vice Mayor John Kocjan, seeking clarification, said, “I thought there was something said about it being closer to the proximity of a future pool.”

“Our hope is to develop the sports area just as that,” said Coldwell. “All that open ground down there, that's the area that we would be looking at for a pool as well. There’s plenty of parking. There's bathrooms. There's picnic tables. There’s playground equipment, and there's really, really, good water pressure.” 

Water pressure would likely be a problem on top of the mesa, particularly at John C. Page Memorial Park when school and city sprinkler systems are running.

Council members gave unanimous approval to get the splash pad project started.