TOP STORY OF THE DAY: Forest Park Splash Pad Construction Expected in 2023

If you’re waiting with anticipation for the splash pad installation at Forest Park, the wait will continue.

Park Board President Janet McClellan estimates grant funding won’t be available until at least October to November, with construction starting the next year, in 2023.

That grant application is still processing now.

Mayor Brian Wyndham said McClellan has spearheaded the splash pad effort since its beginning.

Department of Natural Resources funding is involved, and that takes more time to process.

Unlike grants through the Office of Community & Rural Affairs (OCRA), which is state-based, DNR funding involves the federal government.

“The DNR, they’re not as fast, they have to rely on the federal government,” she said.

Because the grant application is sent up to them, there’s an extra step.

“There’s more paperwork, more red tape,” McClellan said.

The application was submitted at the beginning of 2021, she estimated, for the 50/50 match grant.

The new splash pad will be constructed on the existing basketball court in Forest Park adjacent to the existing City pool, according to an official Brazil city press release. The new 56-foot by 100-foot splash pad will consist of three zones: dynamic, family and tot. All zones on the new splash pad will have specific spray equipment for each zone and signage displaying rules of the entire splash pad.