By the numbers
$350,000: Estimated cost of the water playground planned for Snyder Park.
$300,000: Estimated cost of the new handicap-accessible playground at Snyder Park installed by Springfield Rotary earlier this year.
$5,000: Estimated cost of the annual water bill for the planned water playground.
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The Springfield News-Sun provides complete coverage of the National Trail Parks and Recreation District, including recent stories on a possible budget shortfall and renovations at the pumpkin carriage at Veterans Park.
A $350,000 water playground planned at one of the city’s oldest and largest parks could be completed next summer, part of a number of improvements made to Snyder Park recently.
The nonprofit Friends of Snyder Park has been raising money for its sprayground project since 2012 and the organization is nearing its goal, President Ann Collier said.
Construction is expected to begin in March and could take about three months, Collier said.
“It’s wonderful to see that Snyder Park is going to be re-purposed and re-energized with new family entertainment that’s free to the public,” she said.
A sprayground, also known as a splash pad, is an area for water play with no standing water. The pads use ground nozzles controlled by motion sensors that spray water upward like fountains, allowing people to run and play in the water.
Snyder Park has seen an increase in attendance this summer due to the addition of the $300,000 accessible Centennial Playground constructed by the Springfield Rotary Club this summer, Collier said.
The sprayground will add to the atmosphere at the park, she said.
The sprayground will include shade canopies, benches and a brick retaining wall around the space. It will be the city’s property and will be maintained by the National Trail Parks and Recreation District.
“It will be a great enhancement for that area,” National Trail Director Leann Castillo said.
The money will also include an endowment fund to help pay for future repairs and maintenance.
“We’re actively soliciting funds from foundations and individual contributions,” Collier said.
David Williams and Associates, the same architect who planned the new playground at Snyder Park, has also designed the sprayground, which is expected to be 45-feet in diameter.
“They’ll complement each other,” Collier said.
With no standing water, little risk of drowning exists, eliminating the need for lifeguards.
The water bill for a 1,600-square-foot spray ground would cost about $5,000 per year. The district could use levy funds to pay the utility bill because it’s not a revenue-generating activity, Castillo said.
The sprayground will fill a void left by the closure of the former municipal pool, Castillo said, which was located on Bechtle Avenue near Snyder Park. The sprayground would likely be open until mid-September, nearly a month after the Splash Zone Family Aquatic Center on Eagle City Road closes for the season.
“It will be a free option for people to cool off in the summer time,” Castillo said.
Snyder Park has seen some major changes over the past few months. The Snyder Park Golf Course closed earlier this year. The new accessible playground was built near the tennis courts area, and the Master Gardeners and Ohio State University Extension Office announced it will move its gardens to a five-acre section of the 85-acre golf course area next year.
“A family could spend the whole day there doing multiple activities,” Castillo said.
Springfield native Stevie Ferguson recently moved to Beavercreek, but said she makes the 40-minute drive to Snyder Park a few times per week to bring her two children to play at the new playground.
She likes Snyder Park better than parks in Beavercreek because they do several activities, such as walking and playing tennis.
“It’s the best park,” Ferguson said. “(The new playground) is amazing. They’ve done a lot of work. Both of my kids love it.”
Ferguson, who was playing with her children there on Monday morning, just noticed the sign for the soon-to-be constructed sprayground.
“It’s awesome,” she said.
The Friends of Snyder Park is a nonprofit group formed in 2009 to preserve, promote and enhance the 122-acre park, which was created in 1895.
To donate, send checks to Friends of Snyder Park, P.O. Box 2653, Springfield, Ohio 45501. For more information, log on to friendsofsnyderpark.com.
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