Wouldn't it be great...

...if Chetek had its own splash pad?

“It's good to have fun but you have to know how.” - Dr. Seuss

Have you heard the news? Cameron's got a splash pad. A what? A splash pad – you know, a slab of concrete in a park with jets that shoot out water so that kids can run and play in? Okay, this isn't a scoop. It's actually old news. The village put that in back in 2015 but if you're a kid (or a parent of one), what a treat to have in your own backyard or a backyard near you.

Someone could make the argument that Cameron needs a water park venue as they don't have a pool or a lake like we do for their kids to cool down in during the summer months. True enough. But as much as we are blessed by living on Lake Chetek it's something of a mixed bag, isn't it? Come late July and early August the water turns a particular shade of green that won't stop the fishing or the water skiing but sure seems to put a damper on the swimming. (In the early '90s I did the one and only baptism I've ever done in Lake Chetek. There's something wrong about dunking someone in the 'cleansing waters of baptism' and then urging them to quick shower off before they come down with a case of duck lice.)

The beauty of a splash pad is that there is no standing water which eliminates the need for a lifeguard let alone the necessity of knowing how to swim. (Remember the days when swimming lessons were offered at City Beach? I sure do.) In my opinion, Guy Spiers Park used to be a dumpy little park on Cameron's west end. Now, it's a little gem of a venue complete with splash pad, pavilion and bathrooms. For the sum of $2/day so long if its over 60 degrees your child can splash to his heart's desire (apparently they don't open if it's cooler). The village pays for a staff person (a teenager) to man it and collect the entrance fees and even offers some concessions (for a fee as well).

Everyone wants one of these things.

What does a splash pad cost and how did they fund theirs? City Inspector Joe Atwood did a little sleuthing for me and found out that Cameron paid $160,000 for theirs. According to Joe, the village contributed $60K but the rest was raised by donations. Could we put something comparable in ourselves by a similar equation (i.e., part city contribution, part private donation)? And if we could figure out the math just where would we put the thing? Why not Philips (Beach) Park? Our pavilion is in need of an upgrade anyway. Could we build a new one to the west of the present one and put our new splash pad right next to it on the hill above the beach (in the place where the old playground stood?)

Back in May at the irregular meeting of the Parks Committee just for fun we kicked this idea around but one of the sticking points was a legitimate safety concern about kids running back and forth between a splash pad on the hill and the playground equipment at the beach while having to cross Lakeview Drive. What if we closed Lakeview Drive permanently and rerouted traffic down City Park Drive (the street behind the pavilion where you always register for the Fishy Four)? I know this idea has come up before. Maybe we need to revisit this again?

I realize all of this is pretty much daydreaming on my part. One of the real needs we have right now, however, is for individuals, especially parents of young children, who would be willing to be a part of our Parks Committee for a temporary season of time to help us think about the future of Philips Park as well as Southworth Park across the road. Together I bet we could come up with an even better plan than the one I'm pitching here. Who'd like to join me? Message me here or at Jeff Martin, Mayor on Facebook if you'd be interested in serving. I'd love to hear from you!

It's just a thought. Maybe you got a better one?