Donations to: Splash_4_Life Inc., P.O. Box 662, Marshalltown, IA 50158 During the heat wave of 2012, we lost 4 young children within a month to the Iowa River as they were playing and trying to cool off. The death of these children gave birth to SPLASH 4 LIFE when Leigh and Misty met each other during a softball game. There were people in the crowd talking amongst themselves about the drowning vic
tims, asking WHY did this happen, and trying to place blame. Rather than blaming, we decided to take our broken hearts and begin a mission of change. After presenting to City Council and being told, "great idea but no money in budget." We set out on a journey of educating ourselves on options available and we have been proposing Splash pads. Our dream for Marshalltown is to take this tragedy and give back hope and life to the families and our community. WHY A SPLASH PAD? A splash pad is flat concrete with holes where water sprays up from the ground like a sprinkler. Additional pieces may be added to it in order to provide more fun and entertainment such as dump buckets, hoses, and metal flowers that spray water. The water doesn’t remain in the feature like it does a pool. It is recycled through a filtration system and goes back in the ground, so there is no need for a lifeguard or risk of drowning. A splash pad doesn’t have pinch points or exposed hardware like traditional playground equipment. Splash pads promote cognitive/physical development through water play for all ages and ability levels, positive family and neighbor interactions, encourage arts and healthy movement in parks, and have been shown to reduce crime in areas that have them as community members take pride and discourage unusual activity around them. A splash pad is beneficial for mothers with many children of different ages or day care providers as they can supervise all their children playing at one time in one area. It also benefits those who can't swim or can't swim well as they can still interact with family through safe water play without having fear of drowning. Our goal is to make Splash pads complement and enhance our current parks, not competition. Admission to splash pad will be FREE so everyone has the opportunity to enjoy and benefit from safe water play regardless of financial means or abilities. Marshalltown has one local outdoor pool but it is trying to serve a population of 45,000 which includes the other 17 small towns throughout our county that do not have pools and often come to Marshalltown. As one can imagine this leads to overcrowding at times. There are also entrance fees to this pool which can be cost prohibitive due to the wide diverse socio-economic differences. There are many households with both parents working just to make ends meet, leaving nothing for extras. We have multiple cultural differences because many immigrants from around the world have sought refuge here. Our school district has 50 languages and dialects being spoken which leads to confusion and misunderstanding when it comes to presenting "why" you should not be swimming in the river. Now that you know some of the advantages of bringing Splash pads to Marshalltown , let us share some...
PROJECT DETAILS
We are working to secure funding. The largest Splash pad in the middle of town, hoping to be at Anson Park would be dedicated as a living memorial to honor the four children lost. Anson Park is a central location and amenities necessary for a Splash Pad are already there...water source, electricity, space, parking, other playground equipment, and easy access. Depending on fundraising efforts, we would like to install mini Splash pads in parks located on the East, West, North, and South sides of town with a theme tied to each child over the next four years. This would allow us to spread costs out over a five year time period. We would like to partner with kids art projects and have them help design the artistic component of the splash pads. The shape of the Memorial Splash pad being proposed is similar to a fish with areas specific for toddlers, teens, and families. As we are home to Fisher (Emerson), the fish shape would be a fun way to encourage children and families to not go to the river instead go to the big fish at Anson Park. The square footage will be dependent upon fundraising efforts but with the current budget goals of $ 100,000 for the memorial site, it is estimated to be about 2000 square feet with about 6 water features. The intent is to plumb the area for 12-14 features so we can expand in the future when funding becomes available under Phase 2. Additional budget goals include putting into trust $ 50,000 for operating and maintenance expenses as City of Marshalltown does not have funding for our project, and this project can not be used to raise taxes. Phase 3: An additional $ 100,000 would be necessary to implement the plan of adding small versions in parks located around city. That brings total project goal of $ 250,000. If we are able to obtain additional funding or in-kind donations (working on obtaining concrete, plumbing, and electrical), more features can be added and potential size increased. We are looking at water repurpose systems and solar solutions in order to be eco-friendly and reduce operating expenses. Once approvals are granted and ground breaking occurs, the build will take approximately 6 weeks for the memorial site. The smaller versions will take about 1 week per site. We have been raising money through car washes, tip nights, a dance, business and individual donations, and an elementary school fundraiser. We are in the process of working to secure in-kind donations of materials and additional funding through a variety of sources. Our 501c3 was approved in July of 2016. While we work as a community on this project, we will be partnering with businesses, service clubs, schools, scouting, and youth groups to raise funds, build, and finally play together. Please contact us with ideas as we would love to work with you! We can present more information to your group. Leigh Bauder and Anna Wolvers Co-Chairs for Splash 4 Life
