In fact, spray pad or splash pads have been around for quite awhile. Typically there are ground nozzles that spray water upwards out of the splash pad's raindeck. Because there’s little or no standing water, they’re considered safer for kids as there is little risk of downing.
Robinson provided a sketch of what it might look like. The numbers below denote features of the spray pad.
- Around the spray pad is a sitting wall to accommodate the large number of expected users. The walls will be partially buried on the outside so the spray pad will appear partially hidden as you walk up to it and make it feel more integrated into the site. Integrated boulders will enhance the natural feel of it.
- The deck itself will be partitioned into 3 spaces, reminiscent of the water between islands, not unlike the San Juan Islands that Fidalgo Island is a part of.
- Seals on land might be ‘sprayers’ or not.
- There will be a couple of non-spray seals outside of the wet-deck, again to blur the line between spray-pad and the rest of the park
- Other seals will be ‘partially’ visible from the deck and offer spray-play for the kids and give the impression of shooting water at each other.
- At-grade water arcs run thru the entire water channel.
- Sea Stars will be used as feature activators for areas of the spray park that function best when more than one child is playing.
- Possibly a taller spinning / spraying seagulls element.
- And finally activator bollards will be located at the main entrance to the east and west.
Robinson stressed that the spray pad is very early in planning process.
Here's the Mount Vernon Kiwanis Spray Park.
Robinson thinks the city could build a spray park as well as replace the existing restroom at Storvik Park for $652,000. He is proposing the city go after a grant of $320,000 from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program. He said he thinks $150,000 could be raised privately. He is also asking for $182,000 from the city.
Robinson’s request is on the City Council study session agenda for Tuesday night.