Here are West Chester’s plans for the new $1.5M splash playground

West Chester Twp. officials say they are giving the community a "bicentennial gift" by building a new $1.5 million splash playground at Beckett Park, a project that has been decades in the making.

The trustees on Tuesday approved turning a defective water feature at the park that has been dubbed a "goose spa" into a 127-foot-by-82-foot splash pad. It will include slides and other climbing structures, waterfall-type features and other kids activities that are appropriate for children of all abilities. Shade structures and seating will also be incorporated into the design.

The township is paying Landscape Structures $1.53 million to design and install the playground. It will cost around $16,000 annually for water, electric and staff time to maintain it.

Assistant Township Administrator Lisa Brown said the new splash pad is "the trustees bicentennial gift to the community" and offers many benefits, including evicting pesky geese who populate the old water feature.

"Why a splash pad, one major benefit in installing the splash pad is a quality of life recreational amenity, something totally different than anything else we have here in the community," Brown said. "A splash pad was actually featured in the original master plan for Beckett Park, but just was created into a goose spa."

The project is being funded with Ohio 747 TIF dollars. The township uses tax increment financing dollars often to fund amenities like this and major projects — like the new diverging diamond interchange at Union Centre Boulevard — which are appropriate uses for the money that is generated from commercial development.

The balance in the 747 TIF stood at $18.6 million, before this project and the $1 million renovation of the Community Services offices — also approved this week — are subtracted. The township received $7.3 million from the payments received in lieu of taxes from developers in that area last year.

Finance Director Ken Keim told the Journal-News the township has not had to borrow money or charge taxpayers in general to build many things because of the TIFs. There are seven established TIFs that have paid for things like the police station, the library, the new fire station, annual road maintenance projects, to mention a few.

"We try to be diligent and be mindful of the overall community with every decision that we make," Keim said. "The power of West Chester is that we have a commercial/residential mix and by encouraging some of this commercial development it actually relieves the burden on the taxpayers."

Beckett Park is already home to a boundless playground, the West Chester Baseball Complex and the Muhlhauser Barn.

The splash playground will be constructed in an area where a water feature was installed near a picnic shelter. The water feature was originally built to be an ice skating rink but Brown said it never gets or stays cold enough for that here, but the geese like it which is problematic.

She said there is a leak in the structure that they haven't been able to locate or plug so they are having to fill the fountain up every day. She said the geese are attracted to the "shallow, smooth water" so there are "goose droppings all over the place" and staff spend a lot of time cleaning it up, "which is not the most sanitary undertaking."

Township Administrator Larry Burks said the new splash park will be "goose deterrent" because they aren't fond of the loud splashing sound and all the people.

"A water playground was first envisioned for Beckett Park more than two decades ago and water play areas continue to be a request we hear from residents," Township Administrator Larry Burks said. "It's exciting in the township's bicentennial year to break ground on this project and make it a reality."

Trustee Mark Welch asked if they have looked at adding parking and Brown said they haven't looked at that yet but can consider it.

They will have a ground breaking ceremony next month and the splash pad is slated for completion next spring.

"This will be a big hit for the community," Trustee Lee Wong said. "For families, children, parents, grandparents."

About the Author

Denise has been reporter with Cox since 2006. She covers Butler County government including all elected office holders, departments and independent boards; Ross and West Chester townships. She strives to deliver the most impactful, comprehensive and crucial information about all aspects of local government to her readers every day.