(New Carlisle, IN) - Kids in New Carlisle will soon be splashing around in a new town park water feature.

 

Construction of a new spray pad at Memorial Park in New Carlisle will begin soon. The spray pad will replace the skate park, which will be torn out to make room for construction. Designed by DLZ of South Bend, the spray pad will fit seamlessly into the existing park.

 

Town officials will host a ground-breaking ceremony soon. Larson-Danielson is handling construction, which is set to begin sometime this month.

 

According to New Carlisle Town Council President Samantha Rush, the cost of the spray pad is just over half a million dollars. She said the funds are the result of frugal saving by the council and the town’s clerk-treasurer. “We actually gave a riverboat tax that we collect every year from the casino, and there’s a cigarette tax that we collect from,” Rush said. “And the Park Board has their own budget, so we’re using that as well. So it’s just coming from year-to-year different funds that have been saved.”

 

About twenty years’ worth of savings, actually. The spray pad has been a dream of many residents for decades. She’s excited that it’s finally happening. “I am most looking forward to having something new for all the kids to enjoy,” she said. “There are so many other communities that have these already. So I’m glad that we’ll be caught up with the times, at least for a few years.”

 

Rush said the project could be done by August, if everything goes according to plan.