New splash pad proposed for OK Ward Park

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - Kids in Pocatello and Chubbuck could be getting a new attraction. 

Thanks to a community partnership between Pocatello's Parks and Recreation Department and Idaho Central Credit Union, a new splash pad may be on the way soon to OK Ward Park.

"We currently don't have a splash pad," said Parks and Recreation Director John Banks. "Splash pads tend to be very, very popular with the community. A good gathering place for family members and youngsters."

ICCUwould donate $400,000 to the project.

It would be built near Brooklyn's Playground, one of the area's most popular attractions for families. 

"We thought that OK Ward Park with Brooklyn's Playground would be the perfect location, because a splash pad could feed into the kids using the playground and vice versa."

Banks says the new splash pad could also draw a large crowd. 

"We're planning for about 2700 square feet of usable space and amenities that can easily accommodate roughly 100 youngsters out there at a time," Banks said.

 If the city council approves the project at their council meeting on Thursday, bids will begin in the fall and construction would start in 2023.

"We think that this is going to be an amenity that's one of the more popular in the city for decades to come," Banks said.