Ark Valley News - City balances costs with demand at splash pad

City balances costs with demand at splash pad
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: July 09, 2015

The city's splash pad in McLaughlin Park is a perennial hit with the younger set in Valley Center.

"They do enjoy it a lot," Pam Rector said of her two grandchildren, who were playing in the water July 6. "It is a very nice alternative to the pool."

And the city hopes to keep it that way.

But since the splash opened in 2008, it's been an ongoing challenge to balance cost with consumer demand at one of the city's most popular attractions.

"This is one of the best amenities in city," said Neal Owings, who oversees the city's parks.

And the city wants to make it sure it is functioning and available for residents, he added.

The splash pad has had intermittent shutdowns over the past several years.

The most recent was June 18 through 23, when the on-off sensor mechanism was broken and the city was waiting on parts to replace it.

Owings said the expensive photo sensor mechanism — which has had problems in the past, including several instances of vandalism — was replaced with a mechanical switch. The city hopes the new switch will be more reliable.

"We spent close to the same to replace the switch (about $300)," Owings said. "It should be a whole lot more reliable, barring vandalism."

Despite rumors to the contrary, the latest shutdown was not an effort to save money.

However, the city has implemented measures over the years to conserve water, including a shortened season as well as different hours of operation.

When it opened, the splash pad operated from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. That was shortened to 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Two summers ago, the hours were changed to 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Owings said the splash pad does not have a water-recycling system. It uses fresh water and sends it into the storm sewer. So, the city has been looking for ways to conserve water.

Another step has been to change the run time for each cycle. When someone pushes the button, the water runs for about two minutes, instead of the original four minutes.

In all, the splash pad is using about 2 million gallons of water less each season than it did when it first opened.