By Reporter Caper Gay
During the February 3rd Davenport City Commission Meeting, city officials approved an addition to the local Wilson Park Splash Pad. This is no surprise, as Davenport’s 2024-25 budget set aside$511,000 for the attraction’s expansion. A company named Freeport Fountain ultimately won the bid to carry out this expansion. Though its initial plan went considerably over-budget with a cost of $683,000, the company eventually revised its plan into two more iterations, one that was underbudget, and another that met the budget exactly.
Please note this is not fully representative of the final project
According to Freeport, “The existing 700 square foot splash pad will be expanded to 1,727 square feet of wet play area plus an additional 457 square foot overspray area.” Additional features include new sprays, dumping buckets, water cannons, and water shields. Bathrooms will also be expanded to accommodate the increased bathing load.
With a cost-efficient proposal that almost triples the original pad in size, city officials were quick to approve the measure. The only concerns were brought up by one official, wanting to make sure the new expansion would be open during the summer season for vacationing students to use; however, the question was left unanswered.
