By: Tim Kays
The Village of Archbold is in the process of working toward the construction of a publicly funded splash pad in Ruihley Park. That’s right…publically funded through donations, with no grants, loans or other municipal debts incurred along the way.
It sounds like a steep hill to climb, and it is…but this is Archbold, Ohio. Archbold isn’t called, ‘A Community of Character’ for nothing.
“We need to raise about $450,000 to make this project happen,” said Jen Kidder, Director of Archbold Parks and Recreation. “We started our fundraising campaign, and currently today we have about $125,000 committed.”
“When we were at about the $100,000 mark, we received a call from an individual that said that they would match the next $100,000 that was committed. So I have now $25,000 towards that additional match money.”
“So we’re at $125,000 right now, plus that another $25,000 will be matched at this point. So there’s $150,000 for sure right now, with the potential for $75,000 more in a match coming.”
So what’s the big deal about a splash pad? Why not take the funds and invest them into the pool?
“The thing about a splash pad is that you have a much longer life during the year than you do with a swimming pool,” Kidder said, “…and you don’t need staffing. Our pool we open when school gets out and we close when school starts.”
“So we have about a three month window, and we all know in Ohio that you could have 75 degrees and sunny in March. April and May as well you obviously get nice warm temperatures, and then the good weather really continues through the month of September, sometimes into October.”
“A splash pad would be usable to our community from essentially April to October, whereas our swimming pool is very limited. We also are able to accommodate a lot of people on our splash pad, which doesn’t require any additional staffing so there’s no additional cost.”
“The reason that we’re funding this the way that we are is we want it to be completely free. There will be no admission charge to go to the splash pad, and the costs really are minor…for a splash pad to operate once it’s up and running.”
“We’re looking for donations to make this project happen,” Kidder continued, “…so if there’s anybody that’s interested in contributing to the project, they can reach out to us. We’re definitely recognizing everyone that donates, and we’re looking forward to making it happen.”
If anyone is interested in donating to the construction of the Ruihley Park splash pad, they can do so in several ways:
•Mail a check to Archbold Parks and Recreation at PO Box 406, Archbold, OH 43502
•Drop off a donation to 300 North Defiance Street in Archbold
•Make a donation online at www.archbold.com/online-payments/
•Call the office at 419-445-4025, where the staff will guide you to making a donation over the phone.
Tim can be reached at tim@thevillagereporter.com