WIKIMEDIA COMMONS PHOTO
A small splash pad at an amusement park in Georgia.
ANSONIA — Mayor David Cassetti said Tuesday he’s asked city hall staff to research what it will take to build a splash pad in Ansonia, possibly at Colony Park.
At the same time, Cassetti said the issue isn’t a top priority compared to redeveloping long-dead former industrial properties downtown, including the former Ansonia Copper & Brass.
“I’m hoping it’s something that can happen in the next few years,” the mayor said.
Cassetti’s remarks came after a Valley Indy posted a general remark on Facebook Aug. 12 saying the “Valley needs splash pads for the kids.”
The post generated about 400 comments, including several from Ansonia elected officials, including the mayor, Alderman Chicago Rivers, who asked questions about costs, and Alderman Tony Mammone, who poo-pooed the idea.
But Cassetti told The Valley that he’s been talking about a splash pad in Ansonia for years. The problem is finding a suitable location, he said.
“When we were taking down the Peck School (on Holbrook Street in 2018), I said to (Economic Development Director/Grant Writer) Sheila (O’Malley) at the time, ‘Listen, we should build a splash pad for the kids in the neighborhood.’ I said we should look into it, because we already have water and a storm drain for drainage.”
Cassetti said that O’Malley said providing parking for a Holbrook Street splash pad would be difficult.
Now the mayor said corporation counsel John Marini will be contacting two splash pad buildings — one in Wisconsin, one in Pennsylvania — to get an idea of costs.
The Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley has a splash pad in Shelton. It cost about $150,000 to build (the Club itself paid less than that thanks to generous donors) and uses about $5,000 in water (10 weeks).
Cassetti said Colony Park, a small park refurbished and enhanced thanks to company donations, might be a suitable location for a splash pad.
“There’s a storm drain that can drain it and there’s a water line there, which can save a considerable amount of money,” Cassetti said.
Splash pads — sprinklers, essentially, under a rubber-type surface, exist all over the state, providing a chance for families to cool off and kids to blow off some steam on hot summer days. The costs differ depending on size. They are much less expensive to build and maintain than public pools, and they’re popular.
If it chooses to do so, Ansonia government (or any local government) could use some of its $2.6 million it recently received from the federal government’s American Rescue Plan Act to build a splash pad. Doing so would mean the initial construction costs would not be borne solely on local taxpayers. The federal money is allowed to be used for recreation improvements. Other communities are using a portion of their ARPA money for splash pads.
Photo by Autumn Driscoll
Kids enjoying a splash pad at a public park in Lexington, N.C.
Ansonia government is uniquely suited to receive information on what it would take to build and maintain a splash pad. In addition to reaching out to hundreds of other governments across the United States for info, Ansonia City Hall has in-house knowledge.
The Town of Seymour is in the midst of planning a new community center. Early conceptual drawings include a splash pad. Kurt Miller is the chairman of a Seymour committee studying the issue in-depth. Miller is also the City of Ansonia’s chief financial officer. Mike Marcinek, who runs a business on Ansonia’s Main Street near City Hall, is also on the Seymour committee, and has been submitting conceptual plans for the committee to review.
The Valley Indy asked whether a splash pad on Olson Drive could be worked into a deal to sell the land.
Cassetti said he opposes the idea of using Ansonia’s Olson Drive for city use. Olson Drive, formally federally subsidized housing, is now an empty field. Cassetti wants the land to go to the private sector. His administration is in the process of acquiring the land from its housing authority. Cassetti supports a plan to sell the land to The Primrose Companies, a development company that wants to build a private, $14 million recreation complex.
“Olson Drive is off limits. That’s 12 acres of prime real estate that can generate tax revenue for the city,” Cassetti said. “We have to look at other locations. The Nature Center? Possibly we could do something at the Nature Center, but that could be expensive because you’d have to bring the drainage and the water down to the spot. I want to look at a more feasible location, like Colony Park because it has utilities there.”
