Spending includes $200K for spray fixtures, drainage work
By Ashley M. Casey
Associate Editor
Two years after the idea first came to light, the Lysander Town Board is nearly ready to vote on spending for the proposed spray park. The board intends to vote April 4 on about $200,000 in spending on Phase I of the project, which consists of the construction of a concrete pad and the installation of spray fixtures.
Phase II includes a new pavilion and bathrooms. At the March 21 town board meeting, Supervisor Joe Saraceni said the town “will not even entertain Phase II” until it has secured funding for that phase, including state grants.
Town Engineer Al Yager estimated the total cost of Phase I at $325,000. The town board will vote on the purchase of the fixtures ($110,364.80) and the excavation, drainage and sewer work for the installation of the concrete pad ($90,000). The masonry, materials and labor for the pad itself will be bid separately, Yager said.
Former State Sen. John DeFrancisco secured a $100,000 reimbursement grant toward the spray park. The town’s in-lieu-of-parks fund has approximately $240,000.
The town plans to contract with D.E. Tarolli for up to 20 days of work for excavation, backfill, drainage improvements and sanitary sewer force main installation at Onondaga County’s contract rate of $4,500 per day, not to exceed $90,000 without prior authorization.
As for the spray park fixtures, Landscape Structures has presented the town with a quote totaling $110,364.80. The expenditures include:
• Mechanical system: $31,776
• Spray features: $67,228.80
• Site visit (startup and training): $6,360
• Freight: $5,000
The full quote is available on townoflysander.org.
Several residents spoke at the March 21 town board meeting about the proposal.
Kevin Rode, who helped carry a petition last year to force a referendum on a $400,000 bond for the spray park, questioned the project’s mounting costs. (The referendum, held in May 2018, was defeated.)
Yager’s original estimate for Phase I was $285,000, compared to his current projection of $325,000.
“We’re 20 percent over on what we’re doing now and we’re having our engineer do a lot more of the project than we ever planned. How far down are we going to go this road?” asked Rode. “If the next part comes in 20 percent over, do we just keep saying yes?”
Saraceni said the remainder of the concrete pad costs
“Even if it was well over what we’d anticipated, the impact is going to be small relative to the total cost of the project,” Saraceni said. “So we’re just going to have to cross that bridge when we get there.”
Gene Dinsmore, former highway superintendent, said he did not think the number of potential parkgoers justified the cost of the spray park.
“The project is a fun thing, no question about it. If it was at Old Forge or somewhere where they had enough people to justify it, that would be wonderful,” he said.
Dinsmore said he visited the splash pad at Camillus Park eight times last summer to count the number of kids under age 10 there.
“Seldom was there ever more than six to eight children in that age group. One time I counted 17, so occasionally they do get some play over there,” he said.
He said the city of Syracuse removed a similar splash pad, and he only saw one person at the Charles E. Gallagher Pool’s splash pad in Oswego.
Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow announced earlier this year that the city plans to build an accessible playground with a splash pad in Hamilton Park. Plans for a spray park are underway in Hulett Park in the city of Fulton as well.
Dinsmore suggested the town invest in Lysander Park by creating ball fields, adding walking trails and improving drainage.
“We’re putting the icing on a cake that’s never really had all the ingredients,” he said.
While Dinsmore and Rode expressed their concerns, several residents urged the town board to fund the project.
Resident Taylor Rector said his family frequents the Camillus splash pad.
“They had a blast,” he said of his three children. “I think the spray park’s a great idea. … I have friends, family members, everyone’s in support of it. It’s a great investment for this community. A lot of kids will have a lot of fun, and it’s money well spent.”
Kim Lane, a resident and member of the spray park committee, said her experience on the committee has shown her how the community can come together. She said the spray park would bring even more people together, regardless of their income or ability.
“I feel like a spray park is a very progressive item to have in our town. It’s handicapped accessible. It’s free to use. Not a lot of kids always have access to those things if you are not of means,” Lane said.
Resident Casey Ostrander said the splash pad will draw more people to Lysander Park and to the Baldwinsville area as a whole.
“We have an opportunity to invest in the park where almost half the money comes from a grant, and close to half comes from a fund that is limited in scope,” Ostrander said. “I feel the issue has become a political football where a narrative has been circulated that puts the project into question. At least to me, this is not a political issue; this is an investment in our community and, most importantly, in our kids.”
In addition to the people who spoke at the meeting, Saraceni read into the minutes comments he had received via email. A handful of residents wrote in support of the project, as did Eric Bacon, director of parks and recreation for the town of Camillus.
“As a fellow public servant, I know the challenges and dedication that it takes to see good projects come to fruition,” Bacon wrote. “I believe your patience and persistence will pay off and as a result your residents will have a wonderful facility that they can enjoy for years to come.”
