Splash pad park project beginning the first phase of construction

Apr. 8—Construction of the splash pad park project has almost begun, and it is about darn time if you ask the volunteers who have propelled the idea forward with Newton City Council and solicited hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations over the course of three years to see the community-driven project fully realized.

Erin Yeager, executive director of Newton Main Street, told Newton News that contractors were scheduled to start moving dirt on April 8. The first phase of the project will include the splash pad, seating and the infrastructure for all of the utilities and sidewalks. The second phase will include restroom facilities and a shelter.

"I would love to have it fully completed by 2025," Yeager said. "That's our goal."

Jamie Murphy, parks operations assistant superintendent, said the splash pad park — which is colloquially named Harmony Park but has not yet been officially named — will be crazy the first few years. She anticipates many families will take advantage of the new parks feature that she said makes a great addition to town.

The splash pad will be constructed in the vacant, city-owned lot at 224 W. Third St. N., just west of Bank Iowa and south of Lions Gate Apartments. Surrounded by a dense mixture of businesses, the park stands out from others in the parks system not only because of its relation to the downtown but its unique features.

"We have some smaller pocket parks but nothing with these amenities," Murphy said. "We're hoping we can program this and use it with Main Street and the library and our parks and rec stuff. We're hoping we can get a lot of use year round other than just a splash pad out of this."

The idea for a splash pad was pitched by Bryce Heitman, Keirstin Heitman and Jonathan Van Hemert during a December 2020 presentation at a Newton Park Board meeting. Eventually, the project raised $417,000 by the time city council approved a $550,812 bid from Brothers Concrete to build the splash pad park.

Splash pads are popping up everywhere, Yeager said. A lot of the Main Streets she has visited across the United States have splash pads in their downtowns.

Murphy said, "I would have told you you were crazy. And in fact I think we did tell you you were crazy when this started. But as it progressed, it made sense."

Yeager acknowledged the initial volunteers who kickstarted the project.

"They really headed up quite a bit of the initial fundraising," she said. "We're just honored to have them be a part of the project."