Newton City Council continues its indecisiveness with splash pad

For a project that has been accepted as one of the top goals of the Newton City Council, the mostly elected governing body continues to be indecisive about making any sort of progress on the splash pad. Last month, the council dug its heals in even further when confronted with its easiest decision yet.

Instead of going through with the city’s recommendation to officially name the downtown splash pad Harmony Park, council members voted 6-0 to postpone the action after one of their own proposed the project be taken under the wing of Newton Main Street in order to finish fundraising and construct the final touches.

To make matters even more confusing, the city council has identified additions to the splash pad park — such as bathrooms — as one of its top goals for the next two years. Placing the project in the hands of Main Street effectively transfers responsibility of a council goal over to an organization not operated by the city.

Even after a Main Street board member said the organization was not prepared to take on such a project, council members agreed to table the park naming until more information could be gathered. Which is good news for council member Randy Ervin, who has repeatedly bashed the project any chance he gets.

Still, he felt as if his proposal was a good direction for the city.

“I would like to make a resolution that at this point we give this park and this project back to Newton Main Street,” Ervin said. “We ask them to build the restrooms, whether it’s through grants or private funding and produce the shade shelters, and at that point bring this back to the city council for approval.”

The splash pad, Ervin added, is the most-discussed topic he has had with the public. Whether he is volunteering for the Newton varsity football team or going out to eat with family, the splash pad is always being brought up. Ervin said it is in the best interest of the project to give it back to Main Street to fund.

In addition to the bathrooms, the city council has made it a goal to also install a concrete pad and a shade structure. The cost is between $175,000 to $350,000.

Newton Mayor Evelyn George said Ervin’s proposal sounds like he is trying to force Main Street to come up with the funding rather than the city. Ervin said it felt like a good option to him. George said she has been getting nothing but positive comments about the splash pad, as opposed to Ervin’s negative comments.

“I’ve had a pastor and a 70-year-old say, ‘You gotta have public restrooms downtown to the benefit of the city and visitors and our citizens and young families,’” George said. “So it’s really not an option. Our next resolution, Phase 2, for the clubhouse, was supposed to be $500,000 and what did it come in at?

Ervin added, “I’m not talking about that one.”

“I know,” George said. “Because you’ll approve that one.”

Newton City Council did end up voting 6-0 for the clubhouse interior project at Westwood Golf Course and awarded the low bid of $692,000. Ervin said he is not disapproving the name of the splash pad park. To him, his proposal is a win-win that would appease everybody and make more sense financially.

But only Ervin has spoken out against the splash pad project so vehemently. Some city council members have shared concerns over the price of the proposed bathrooms, concrete pad and shade structure, but it did not stop them from making the project one of their top goals.

In a follow-up interview with Newton News, Ervin said his proposal was based off of a discussion he had with “Main Street members.” He clarified his intention was to have Main Street find a cheaper option since it is not through the city’s bidding process. Ervin said even if the group was $50,000 short he would be supportive.

“I’d rather them come to us and ask us for $50,000 than for $350,000,” he said. “So if we have to help them at that point we’ll help them. But that’s really what needs to happen. It needs to be a finished product … Main Street can do it cheaper and without all the red tape than we can.”

Toni Peska, a board member of Newton Main Street, asked for clarification from Ervin and if he meant for the organization to take over control of the property itself, which Main Street is not in a position to do. Ervin made it clear he wanted Main Street to make the city’s project a more finished product.

“But the funding for those structures would reside on Main Street’s shoulders as well?” Peska asked, referring to the previous $417,000 raised for the splash pad.

“Yes,” Ervin said. “Through grants or private funding. I mean there are a lot of options. For one, I think, in my opinion, it can be done less expensively through Main Street than it can be through the city. That’s just my opinion. So I don’t really want to quote that.”

In a follow-up interview with Newton News, Erin Yeager, executive director of Newton Main Street, said that not only was she not notified of Ervin’s proposal beforehand but because of his negative comments about the splash pad it has made it extremely difficult for the organization to raise money for future projects.

“I don’t know how much more I can go fundraise because it is hard for our program to continue to fundraise in this situation we are at,” Yeager said.

The project, she added, has taken so much heat, even after Ervin voted for the splash pad construction and said he would support it.

Yeager commended the community members who stepped up and wanted to see the public-private partnership come to fruition, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process. When Newton News asked Ervin if he thought his comments could affect future fundraising that he proposed, he said no.

“Do I think what I said hurts it? No, because I think I’ve been honest since Day One on my feelings on this project, and I haven’t wavered one bit or changed my mind of any of that,” Ervin said. “I don’t think me saying what I feel is right or wrong at this point should be any different than it was four years ago.”

Yeager said Ervin’s comments have indeed hurt Main Street, but she still intends to push forward to see what can be done about the splash pad and its amenities.

“I’ll continue to work with city staff to see what we can do,” she said. “All I can do is try. I will continue try and make sure this project moves forward. We would love someone to help us finish this project. It’s just disheartening as a citizen that we cannot see this project through.”