The design for Wetaskiwin’s hoped-for spray park will now also include an accessible playground.
In an update to city officials during a council meeting on April 8, Katrina Wold, co-chair of the committee overseeing the water park project, said no parks in the city have features that allow children with disabilities to play on the structures.
“We don’t have any other features that allow for children with limited mobility to go to a park without being carried by someone,” she said.
Wold highlighted that the playground will be the first-ever barrier-free park that’s designed with accessibility, featuring smooth surfacing for easy mobility, wheelchair-accessible ramps, multiple sensory plays, and a side-by-side play design.
READ MORE: Spray Park to be built in Wetaskiwin by 2025
“The community response is very positive about the new features. We have also had some good strides with fundraising, and we are looking at the project going forward.”
The committee expects that the park will cost $1.3 million. The city has agreed to pay for the cost of maintaining the park once complete, but the funds to construct the park will have to be raised through donations.
The estimated annual operating costs total $20,000, with an additional $26,000 being dedicated to asset life-cycle costs.
The committee hopes to start construction by the spring of 2025 and have the park complete by the end of that summer.
The Pipestone Flyer has reached out to the committee to confirm how much of the $1.3 million has been raised so far.