Splashpad Accord Reached
An unprecedented joint meeting of the Cumberland County Fiscal Court and the Burkesville City Council was held last week, with the major issue on the agenda being cooperation on operation of the Splash-pad the county is putting out for construction bid.
By Greg Wells
CCN — Editor
After almost 2 hours of talking in the courthouse and walking around in the park, an accord seems to have been reached between the city and county on issues related to the splash-pad.
If the county builds the proposed splash pad in Veteran Memorial Park, the city has agreed to cover the water bill for the attraction. They would also split the cost of maintenance with the county 50-50. Revenues from the rental of the facility would be deposited in a separate account to defray any maintenance costs incurred, before either would need to spend money on maintenance.
The protracted discussion followed a suggestion that the splash pad be constructed inside of the walking track, but that proposal was rejected in favor of locating it between the pavilion and the walking track behind the restroom facilities in Veterans Memorial Park.
Burkesville Mayor Laurel Irby had to recall a council member, who had been called away to a parent-teacher meeting, in order to reestablish a quorum before they voted to approve the proposal.
County Judge-Executive Luke King had strenuously requested the proposal be settled at the meeting, suggesting that delays and protracted discussion of minutiae around a proposal was not acceptable.
“As of the September 8 meeting, we’ve got to have the bid packet approved by then to send out,” King said. “But the should’a, could’a, would-have, maybe… no, I’m a hard no on that.”
District 2 Magistrate Lane Cope agreed with King regarding needing a hard answer as well as the issue of locating the new attraction at the city’s park, saying, “I definitely think we have to talk to the River Festivus folks about this first.”
Both men had been opposed to the location inside the walking track as it would have seriously impacted that major yearly event.
District 4 Magistrate, Jeff Cyphers, was also in agreement with them on the need for a decision by the city or the county should move ahead with construction at the county’s site on N. Main St.
Councilman Glen Murphy said repeatedly that he wanted the city to participate in this project. Councilman Sean Riddle voiced the same as well. In the end, it was a unanimous vote for the proposition by the members of the council.
City Council Members, from the left, Glen Murphy, Shawn Riddle, Jamie Allen and Doug Radford, all replied yes when Mayor Laurel Irby called the vote on the motion to provide free water to the Splash-pad as well as share in rental income and maintenance costs if the county builds the attraction a Veterans Memorial Park, very nearly where they were standing, at last Thursday’s joint city/county special called meeting.
An earlier sticking point had been a suggestion that the city handle the water bill for the park since the county was paying to build it, but the mayor had said she wasn’t sure about the legality of that. When the project was moved from county property to city property, she said it negated any legal concerns.
Earlier in the meeting, King had given a brief history of the project. He said that they had previously taken bids for installation of a splash pad, but received only one bid. That bid included a completion date late in the year, meaning the completed project would stand unused until the coming spring, which was not something the magistrates were comfortable with.
The proposal then came that they not take that bid and delay advertising for bids again until late summer or early fall so construction could take place with an eye to completion in the spring. This is the course of action the court is pursuing at this point.
King added that in the interim others have expressed interest in bidding on the project.
Earlier in that meeting last week, the fiscal court was first to open their meeting, and old business was discussed. Among that old business was the auction of a truck that had not been running well. The high bid at the auction was below the reserve price, so the truck was not sold.
The court decided to move ahead with replacing the truck’s engine and putting it back in service.
The court moved to new business and passed an ordinance, required by state government, regarding the lease/purchase of a backhoe and road grader.
King expressed appreciation of the council and the mayor’s interest in participating in the splash-pad project and in their willingness to hold the joint special called meeting.
County Judge-Executive Luke King, left, conferred with magistrates, from the left; District 3, James Anderson; District 2, Lane Cope; District 4, Jeff Cyphers and District 1 Rondall Wray, about the benefits of moving the construction of the new Splash-pad to veterans Memorial Park rather than the county’s site on north. Main Street.
It was at that point that the city’s meeting was called to order, and discussion of the splash-pad project, a priority moved forward by the Civics Club, began.
Civic Club Judge-Executive Sadie Arterburn expressed her appreciation for both groups coming together to move forward to see the project implemented in the best way possible.
King and Irby both expressed support for the project, with King assuring Arterburn and the club members that the fiscal court was committed to seeing the club’s vision made reality.
Next discussion of the project is expected at the September 8 meeting of the fiscal court.
