It’s been a long and winding road, but a splash pad could be completed next summer. 

“In this year's budget, the council has put in $850,000 for a new splash pad,” City of Page Manager Darren Coldwell said. 

“We’ve created a committee of very active adults in the community, a lot of them with kids, or grandmothers that took a real serious look at the pool and a real serious look at the rec center. The number-one thing was they wanted to proceed with the splash pad as soon as we can. It has been with the engineers and with the contracting, actually with a crew in the valley that does all of Phoenix’s splash pads.”

Page City Council will give a “yay” or “nay” Oct. 25 to authorize J2 Engineering to begin with engineering and design for the splash pad. The J2 services agreement is $101,382.

“The next stage is giving the J2 the authority to have the property surveyed, have the property appraised, looked at, and then to begin the engineering to start the project,” said Coldwell.

“It's a little more complicated than one imagines because there's a lot of plumbing underneath that you don't even think about. There has been concerns, and there’s been things expressed about not putting it up on the mesa, not putting in John C. Page Memorial Park. Our hope is that it’s going to be a pretty large splash pad, and of course then it’s going to be fenced so that when it’s closed in the evening, it’s closed in the evening. People can’t come and go, or any vandalism can happen, that kind of thing.”

The splash pad location, once approved, is Page Sports Complex. Originally, the project was planned for John C. Page Memorial Park. It was included in the 2017 Page Parks Master Plan. Coldwell said there are multiple reasons not to build at the town’s main park, including space needed for recurring events like car shows, Fourth of July, art shows, Christmas in the Park and other future events. 

One advantage of building the splash pad below the mesa is better water pressure – it doesn’t have to be pumped up a steep hill. Splash pads need a lot of pressure. There are also existing bathrooms and playground equipment at the proposed site.

The splash pad will use fresh water. 

“It's the same thing that comes out of your faucet,” said Coldwell.

“So that recycles back in, which helped us with the EPA. We don’t have to get all the permits because we're not using well water. We’re using water that’s going to be recycled and go right through the system again.

“The Phoenix area and Phoenix proper hasn’t built a swimming pool since the 1980s. And the reason being is because of the expense. Where you can’t afford to put a swimming pool in every community, in every area, you can put in a splash pad, and that water is recycled. You don’t need lifeguards. You don’t have to use the chemicals like you do in a swimming pool. So the little tykes don’t have to worry about the rashes and all that kind of stuff. The same stuff that’s coming out of your tap water is what we’ll be using. And they’re just so much more economical. For a million dollars, we can put this in. Our least estimate is about $10 million for an outdoor pool, not including the maintenance.”

Coldwell and staff, at the direction of City Council, are researching ways to finance and build a swimming pool. One idea floating around is to finance a new recreation center with an indoor pool with a bond. Citizens would need to vote for it and be willing to shoulder a tax increase for 20-25 years. In March 2024, Campbell Architecture estimated the project would cost about $37 million.

“That was one of the financing concepts that was put forward in February,” said Page City Councilor Brian Carey, speaking of a potential bond. 

This would put the weight of the decision on the community.

“You’ve got to put your money where your mouth is,” said Carey. “But I think a slimmed-down design and perhaps deciding about indoor versus outdoor and whether it is just going to be a seasonal pool or actually be available for the whole year, which really broadens the kinds of uses you can have, those are all pending.”

Talks began in the newly formed Parks and Recreation Advisory Board in 2017. Carey chaired the board in 2017.

“The council approved the overall plans back then,” said Carey. “Nothing happened with that for a variety of reasons. During our recent preparation process for the 2024 budget, I made the motion to fund a separate splash pad at a separate location, which was approved by the council.”

Carey said the idea for a splash pad came from citizens participating in the public planning process.

“As the Parks Master plan was being developed, the consultants who prepared it did some outreach and met with some different people on the side,” he said. “We had at least one open house, and some people came up with the concept of having a splash pad, and it was to be located, and you can see it in the design still, the concept design for John C. Page Memorial Park. You can see the splash pad as one aspect of the improvements.”