By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays ARC Park received a $198,000 grant from the Sunderland Foundation of Overland Park for its planned accessible splash pad.
The design work has been done for the splash pad, which will be at Seven Hills Park, but the grant will allow the ARC Park to place its final order for the equipment.
The ARC Park's goal is to have the splash pad open by July 4, said Sarah Meitner, Arc of the Central Plains president.
The grant also will allow the ARC Park group to put in a handicap accessible bathroom with changing area, which the group thought it might have to cut from the project.
Seven Hills Park already has bathrooms, but the park group wanted to make sure an area was available where someone who was in a wheelchair could change into dry clothing after using the splash pad.
The bathroom will be between the proposed ball field and splash pad.
The City of Hays has already given the go-ahead for the splash pad phase of the project and has pledged to construct a small parking lot for the park.
"Everything is ready to go," said Brent Kaiser, Arc activities director. "We have been working on the design and the equipment and all of that stuff that we want in our park and what we wanted it to look like for quite a while now.
"We just basically needed to pull that trigger, and I think we're ready to do that."
The Sunderland Foundation did not give the ARC Park advance notice they would be receiving the grant. They opened the mail, and there was a check with the award letter, Kaiser said.
"I did quite a bit of yelling," Kaiser said happily.
The ARC Park has raised about $1.6 million to complete the first two phases of its three-phase project.
The group has already received the equipment for the first phase of the project, which is an accessible playground, also to be at Seven Hills Park.
After delays involving utilities and storm water requirements, the pre-construction meeting for the installation of the playground was Jan. 22. Workers had hoped to start installing the equipment this week, but work was delayed by the weather.
Once site work begins on the playground, the equipment should be installed within two to four weeks, Kaiser said.
However, workers need temperatures to be warmer and stay warm in order to pour the accessible rubber surface for the playground.
The playground will be unsafe until that surfacing is installed. Although the equipment will be in place, the playground will be fenced off and not open for use until the surfacing can be installed.
The revised opening date for the playground is May 1.
The splash pad project is more complex and will take longer to complete. It includes a water recycling system, which will conserve water.
Fun features include a water tower with a large spigot that drops water into the splash pad, water arches and a windmill.
The splash pad will be fenced, which is not only an important safety feature for families with disabled individuals but also those families with small children, Kaiser said.
The final phase of the park will be an accessible baseball/softball field. The estimated cost for that phase is $400,000.
"This check definitely gives us the ability now to start a campaign for the ball field," Kathy McAdoo, Arc of the Central Plains executive director said of the Sunderland grant.
The ARC Park has already received a pledge for an in-kind donation of turf, which is much of the cost of the ball field.
Kaiser said he did not know what the timeline for the ballpark will be, but now the money has been raised for the splash pad, the group will be able to move into fundraising for the ballpark.
The Sunderland Foundation was established in 1945 by Lester T. Sunderland, who served as president of the Ash Grove Cement Company for 33 years.
Since its inception, the foundation has focused on supporting construction projects and awarding grants to nonprofits in western Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Arkansas, western Iowa, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Utah and Montana. The foundation focuses on health care, education, human services, and arts and culture.
"We feel really fortunate that they see the value in this project and the value to northwest Kansas and to Hays," Meitner said of the Sunderland Foundation. "We are so thankful to them."