Photo Courtesy of City of Wellman Social Media

There’s a new oasis in southeast Iowa to beat the summer heat. The City of Wellman has officially opened their new, free, splashpad at North Park to the public. An idea that can trace it’s roots to fundraising efforts nearly 40 years ago, came to fruition over the last year, thanks to the work of many community members. The process started with bids taken in the fall of 2023 and again in January of this year, with the final contract awarded to The Henley Group of Muscatine in mid-February. Shive-Hattery Architectures and Engineering was responsible for the design of the project. Construction began in the spring and finished in May, with final state inspections taking place over the Summer. Total cost for the project was $297,000 and was paid for with grant money from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation and fundraisers including a soup supper hosted by Sunrise Daycare at the Wellman Parkside YMCA. This week, KCII News spoke with Wellman City Administrator Kelly Litwiller and City Councilman Shannon McCain to talk about the process from their perspective and what it means to for Wellman to have this attraction.

McCain said, “When I got on City Council it was one of the things I was hoping to be able to do. As a kid, my mom made me do a lot of fundraising to at that point get a swimming pool and then it never came to fruition. When I got on to City Council, we kept working on it and finally the last couple years, we were able to make it happen. It was cool to be able to see the process from the beginning to the end of them doing the work. To me, this is a way to give back to the community without having to charge them for something and to be able to see that happen with the kids really made me happy. Towns like Wellman need to have something to attract people to town and then have them visit other parts of the community and spend money while they’re here.”

Litwiller continued, “We are fortunate to be one of the communities within Washington County that receives Riverboat (WCRF) funds. We were able to bank that money to be able to pay cash for the project. People in the community were excited because we were getting a lot of calls and Facebook comments of ‘Updates of when things are going to get done?’. It was fun to watch. Lots of families are using it every day when we go by.

The area features three overhead rings with pressurized water for kids to run under, along with ground water spouts. The entire splashpad springs to life with the press of a button and runs a 15-minute cycle before the equipment automatically shuts down, a water and power-saving function, and can be started again with another press. Litwiller and McCain explain that after a test run July 30th, the splashpad is now officially open for public use and the plan for the rest of 2024 is to have it available through Labor Day, weather permitting. They are hopeful the 2025 season will stretch from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Hours are 9a.m. to 3p.m.