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The splash pad at Tower Riverside Park at 210 N. Franklin St. in Greenville opened in 2021 and has been used frequently during the summer months. A new “bucket” feature will be added next year thanks in part to grant funding supplied by the Greenville Area Community Foundation. — DN file photo
GREENVILLE — Two of this community’s more popular recreational attractions will be receiving new features thanks to another round of local grant funding.
During Tuesday’s meeting, the Greenville City Council voted unanimously to accept two grants from the Greenville Area Community Foundation.
The first grant, in the amount of $34,500, will be allocated toward the purchase of a new “bucket” feature for the splash pad at Tower Riverside Park at 210 S. Franklin St.
The second grant, in the amount of $150,000, will go toward completing two neighborhood trail connectors, one on Clay Street and another on Elm Street.
Splash pad bucket
According to City Engineer Doug Hinken, the city will contribute $15,400 of local funds from the city’s Capital Improvement Projects fund with the $34,500 grant, which comes from the GACF’s Bill Braman Family Fund and the Dr. Joyce London Memorial Fund, to purchase the bucket feature.
This conceptual image shows the next feature coming to the Greenville Tower Riverside Park splash pad, highlighted by the yellow box, which will feature a “bucket” addition in which water will build up and eventually pour down on children below. — Submitted illustration
The bucket feature will be purchased from Webuildfun Inc. in Allen, Texas.
According to Hinken, the city originally budgeted $200,000 out of the CIP fund for Phase 2 at the splash pad. While other improvements at the splash pad, such as a new raindrop item, arch, ornament fixture and spinning toadstool feature, were listed among items being pursued for Phase 2, Hinken told the Daily News the city is only pursuing the bucket feature at this time.
According to Hinken, the bucket feature will consist of a unit that fills with water and eventually tips, spilling the large amount of water onto children waiting below.
“This is a new feature we think visitors of the splash pad will really enjoy,” he said.
The splash pad opened in June 2021 and was funded by a number of partners from in and outside of the community. The project cost $390,529.50, however, the majority of it was funded by grants.
Greenville City Engineer Doug Hinken provides information during Tuesday’s meeting of the Greenville City Council pertaining to upgrades occurring at the city’s splash pad and trail network thanks in large part to grant funding provided by the Greenville Area Community Foundation. — DN Photo | Cory Smith
A $76,800 federal grant from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Land and Water Conservation Fund got the project moving in 2017, but given the entire scope of the project, more was needed.
The GACF then came forward with $247,348 in grant funding, supplying the bulk of funding for the project. Additionally, the Greenville Rotary Club contributed $13,000 for additional tables and to provide additional seating around the park. Making up the remaining difference in cost, the city provided $53,381.50 in funding to complete the construction of the splash pad.
Councilperson Jeanne Cunliffe asked if the splash pad had grown in popularity since it first opened.
“I just wanted to ask, attendance, have we seen it go up?” she asked. “I see a lot of kids there when I drive by.”
Hinken said he didn’t have specific measurements of attendance, but believes the splash pad has been a hit in the community since opening.
“I haven’t done a year-to-year comparison and the only thing I’d be able to compare is the water use from year to year,” he said. “But whenever I drive by there in the summer, it’s busy.”
Trail connectors
With regard to the trail connectors, new sections will directly connect two different Greenville neighborhoods with access to nearby trails.
The first connector will be located off of the intersection of N. Clay and Gibson streets, with a 10-foot wide connector paved straight south to the Fred Meijer Flat River Trail, west of Water Works Park.
The second connector will be located off of Elm Street, where it will travel south to the Fred Meijer River Valley Rail Trail.
Additionally, the Elm Street connector will also connect to the Hidden Pines apartment complex to the trail network.
According to Hinken, it is estimated that the construction cost of the project will be $210,000.
The splash pad at Tower Riverside Park at 210 N. Franklin St. in Greenville opened in 2021 and has been used frequently during the summer months. A new “bucket” feature will be added next year thanks in part to grant funding supplied by the Greenville Area Community Foundation. — DN file photo
In addition to the $150,000 GACF grant, which comes from the GACF’s Access To Recreation Fund, Bill Braman Family Fund and Lloyd, Henry “Hank,” & Alice Walker Fund, the city will be providing the $60,000 balance, which includes engineering costs as an in-kind match.
The CIP budget anticipated $130,000 of local funds for the project.
“This is more good news from the Greenville Area Community Foundation,” Hinken said. “We received a full grant to construct some key connections from neighborhoods to the Fred Meijer Trail network in the city.”
Members of the council applauded City Manager George Bosanic and his staff for working to obtain necessary easements from property owners, in order to install the trail connectors on private property.
“These connections have been on our radar for a long time,” Councilperson Mark Lehman said. “It has been a whole process, starting back before 1999, when the first several miles of trails were approved, but it has involved an untold amount of George’s time, securing easements. It’s also a testament to the cooperation we have from property owners. As a city, we’ve been able to approach a lot of parcels for these trail projects. Maybe their first reaction isn’t positive, but over time, our words resonate and they come around.”
Councilperson Larry Moss felt the locations for the trial connectors were ideal.
“I drove over to Elm Street, I looked this over and that’s going to be really cool,” he said. “My question is, are we going to have any kind of signage, telling people that these trail connectors are there?”
“I would imagine that eventually we will,” Bosanic answered. “Let’s get the thing built first, then we can put some signs up.”
