Group Proposes Water Playground for Royal Oak Park

It's cold outside now, but a Royal Oak community group has what it hopes is a hot idea for Royal Oak families.

Nonprofit Volunteer Royal Oak will go before the Rehabilitation Board of Appeals on Tuesday with a proposal for a water play area — otherwise known as a splash pad — to be located at  in the south part of the city. The proposed project would also include two picnic shelters with restrooms.

What is a splash pad?

According to the proposal prepared by Volunteer Royal Oak, a splash pad is a play area with ground nozzles that spray water up out of the splash pad's rain deck. Because there is no standing water there is no need for lifeguards and there is practically no risk of drowning.

“The real beauty of a splash pad is that it can accommodate many different types of people,” said Jay Dunstan of Volunteer Royal Oak. A splash pad is typically divided into areas, so one area may be suitable for toddlers with small water features and another area may appeal to teens with water guns and movable features.

“And then there would be a general area for everyone,” Dunstan said. "One of the most exciting aspects of this park is what it will offer to individuals with disabilities. This type of facility is easily navigated by wheelchairs and those with developmental disabilities."

Royal Oak recreation director Tod Gazetti said when the city did its 10 year master plan it surveyed residents and the No. 1 thing people wanted was some sort of water recreation.

“Pools have a lot of high staffing and maintenance costs,” Gazetti said. “What we are proposing is sort of a water playground with features like water cannons and water buckets. They are becoming very popular. ”

There would be no admission fee for the water park, which would be open to the public.

The likely hours of operation for the splash pad would be 8 a.m.-9 p.m. from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.

How would Royal Oak pay for a splash pad?

The splash pad would be paid for through federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, according to Dunstan. CDBG funds support economic development and public services that are directly related to housing or physical community revitalization.

The estimated price tag of a splash pad is $450,000-$550,000, including design and engineering fees, according to the proposal.

“The important thing for everyone to understand is that we're trying to finance this whole thing through a Community Development Block Grant through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)," Dunstan said. “This project would not be possible otherwise, because frankly there are no Royal Oak monies available for anything like this.”

What is the operating cost of a splash pad?

The yearly maintenance is calculated to be between $10,000-$20,000, according to the proposal.

“Operating costs would be financed through rentals on the picnic shelters and through sponsorships,” he said. “We currently have a couple of large entities very interested in sponsorship.” Dunstan said he is unable to name the interested parties at this point.

"Unlike some of our neighboring cities Royal Oak has no kind of municipal pool," Dunstan said. "A splash pad would offer community water recreation without the high operating costs of a traditional pool."

Where would the splash pad go?

CDBG funding has restrictions on where projects such as this one can be located. The city-owned northern portion of Grant Park, which sits between Fourth and Sixth streets and Kayser and Irving avenues, is eligible and was chosen for the ample parking on Fourth Street and the size of the park, which is large enough to accommodate the picnic shelters and a bathroom.

“Grant Park doesn’t have baseball or football fields,” Gazzetti said. “And there are quite a few parking spaces on Fourth Street."

"A splash pad isn’t like a pool," the rec director said. "I do not envision a hundred cars showing up at the same time. It’s not a place where you plop down for six hours. It’s more like a playground where you spend about an hour.”

Share your opinion

Kara Rasmussen, a Royal Oak mother of two, loves the idea and thinks her kids will, too.

“I think it’s awesome. I can picture my son Liam (age 10) just loving it," Rasmussen said. “ I think it’s a good idea to have it in a park where kids can run around and have fun and then cool off (on the splash pad.)"

Kimberly Middlewood of Royal Oak also thinks the water playground would make a big splash in the community.

"We think this would be a fabulous way to revitalize Grant Park. Making this idea even more appealing is the fact that they can be operated without lifeguards or other attendants," Middlewood said. "Parents, caregivers and grandparents should all like them because they are a way for kids to enjoy water fun with no risk of drowning." 

"We would certainly use it often with our 7-year-old daughter and her friends," she said.

Residents interested in the splash pad project are urged to attend the Rehabilitation Board of Appeals meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Room 309 of .

Residents may also contact either City Commissioner Dave Poulton, who is a supporter of the project, at commissionerpoulton@gmail.com, or Dunstan at jay@dunstan.me.