Kid's Splash Park

UPDATE: January 2020 (The original blog post is below the update)
In a sense, I recently voted against the Splash Park proposal, and for those interested, I’m happy to present my reasons here. For those who don’t already know, the location of the proposed splash park basically runs the southern-most fence of Heritage Park, alongside the property that was formerly the Duck & Pug.
The value of the project is estimated at more than 300,000 dollars, will require new change/washroom facilities, supervisory staff in the summer months, cleaning and maintenance. It’s planned to be a free attraction.
On the bright side, it’s quite out of the way and utilizes an area of the park that doesn’t get much attention. For anyone who underestimates how difficult it can be to get a toddler safely into the water on a hot, summer day… well, it’s a lot tougher than you think! People with toddlers will surely appreciate the option.

Popularity of the Idea:
I try my very best to be accessible to Peachlanders, but many conversations haven’t really evidenced much support for this project. This is anecdotal, as there’s always a chance I simply haven’t talked to the right people! If you’d like to tell me how you feel, or especially if you feel that I’ve got the wrong outlook on this, I’m easy to reach by email or phone, and always happy to meet for a coffee. Your opinion matters.
Generally speaking, the folks I’ve spoken with feel that this proposal is rather expensive for an attraction that appeals to such a limited group of people for a limited number of weeks in the summer. Some younger folk say their kids would most definitely enjoy the attraction, as they go crazy when they find out they’re going to the Splash Pad in Westbank! Yet, as Westbank is a short distance away, when it comes to building a Splash Park Peachland, they can “take it or leave it”. Had I been able to find anyone who thinks this Splash Park is a fantastic idea, then I’d tell you about it here.

Bang for the Buck:
We have made no attempt to estimate the economic uplift this will provide to the community. We surely hope it’ll be incredibly successful and popular, but we really have no reason to know what to expect one way or the other. For an expense such as this, I feel we should know a little more. Perhaps increasing the size of the creative playground that’s already there (for less cost and no maintenance) could provide the same or greater benefit? It’s all worth considering, as smiles and happy families are among the best investments we can make as a community. The idea for a splash park was brought forth by a previous council, and I haven’t had much of an opportunity to weigh in. Cards on the table, I don’t think this is a very good way to spend our money.

New Change/Washrooms:
New change/washroom facilities must be constructed for the Splash Park, as the facilities currently located on the other side of Beach Avenue (beside the museum) are across a road that is considered high traffic and too dangerous for pedestrian crossings. It’s only an observation, but it seems to me that new washrooms & changerooms are needed pretty badly at the other end of Beach Avenue. Maybe we’d look at this first.

13th Street and the WiBit:
We do understand the economic uplift provided by the WiBit at the Northern end of Beach Avenue. It’s very popular and brings a lot of bodies to the area… bodies that needs change/washrooms. Businesses have already approached council to express that they’re having trouble coping with the volume of people, and an apparent lack of Public Washroom facilities and/or change rooms to service the crowds. Please remember that I am not the expert here. I’m merely blogging about observations and asking for your input.
If we’re planning to build new washroom facilities in the short to medium term, I feel it makes sense to start where they’re immediately needed. Apart from the need for additional washroom/change facilities in Heritage Park to accompany a Splash Park… it’s not needed. Perhaps we can put a little thought into a solution for 13th & Beach first.

You’ve reached the end of the update.
Here’s the Original Blog! Please feel welcome to let me know how you feel. Your opinion matters.

One of the proposals coming up before Council concerns a Kid’s Splash Playground. If you’re unfamiliar with these things, you can think of it as a very shallow concrete pool with all sorts of water canons and water jets for young children to play with. It’s not for adults or teenagers. Speaking with young parents, they tell me that their little people go crazy when they hear they’re heading to the splash park in Westbank.

PROS
- Children’s activities are a great draw to Beach Avenue. If we’re not about bringing families to our town to enjoy a day at the lake, then what are we here for?
- It can be tough for parents to keep the wee-folk entertained, and an attraction like this could be prove to be pretty popular in the summer months.
- When people become accustomed to coming downtown for an attraction, they’re inclined to come back for other things, too.
- We expect it to be a fun attraction, but we also hope it’ll bring more business to the community.

CONS
- The downside to these parks is that they’re expensive to build and require quite a lot of maintenance versus something like, (let’s just say), a kid’s playground or a volleyball court.
- It’s not something you charge for, such as the privately-owned Wibit bouncy-lake-playground.
- Issues or leaks in the water pipes & pumps running beneath the pool will happen eventually, the surface will need to be re-painted, the safety features maintained, etc.
- There would have to be some element of supervision and an employee to turn the pumps off and on every day, clean up the spilled food and algae, (perhaps the occasional poop), perform basic maintenance, etc.
- Perhaps the biggest downside is that this kind of attraction is only good for a few months of the year. Outside of bathing suit weather, there’s really nothing else that it can be used for.

MY THOUGHTS - Please give me yours!
These are just my thoughts. I’ll list them in point form, so it’s easier for you to address or disagree with them. I want to know what you think. This is a matter that Council will be deciding upon in the future.

1. Our summer months are already busy and successful. Perhaps we should aspire to creating attractions that would extend our busy season?
2. For the kids, we have Swim Bay, Wibit and the ultimate water park… Lake Okanagan! Expanding or improving these attractions might be a better investment, longer lasting, perhaps better-suited to the natural beauty of our surroundings.
3. At the end of the day, I wonder if the simple attractions are just as enjoyable? I remember splash parks when I was a kid, but it didn’t take me very long to go back to chasing bugs and eating dirt. Parents, I need your opinion on this!
4. Would there be a benefit to focusing the children’s attractions where they are currently, (at the North end of town and Swim Bay), and perhaps develop features at Heritage Park that are more appealing to the age of majority? We like kids a lot, but we have way more folks running around these parts who aren’t kids anymore.
5. I’m not certain that a splash park will bring Peachland a great bang for the buck.
6. How many toys and “things” can we install on Beach Avenue before it becomes tacky.

Please let me know what you think!

UPDATE April 10, 2019
I’ve spoken with a lot of people about this! Overwhelmingly, people think it’s a lot of money to spend on something that can only be used a few months of the year by a very small segment of the population. Folks have also said:
- it’s horribly expensive,
- demands a lot of maintenance,
- the lake is the main attraction,
- Swim Bay & WiBit entertain the kids pretty well,
Get your opinions in here! At this point, I’d have no other choice but to vote against this. I’ve found one couple who said their kids go absolutely wild at the splash park, but this couple also said that Westbank is pretty close for those special occasions when they like to take the kids, and they wouldn’t be too disappointed if Peachland goes a different direction.