JEFFERSON COUNTY — The is hoping to give children a better water play area at Clement Park as it seeks funding to improve and redesign its fountain near the park’s baseball fields.
The district is gearing up to apply for a $350,000 grant from that it would then match for a $700,000 project to pay for the renovation.
“We would like to try and provide an experience where more kids have access at one time,” said Colin Insley, director of park planning for the district.
The current fountain is a small set of grates that shoot water out at various heights. Typically, fewer than 10 kids can stand in the water at any given time. Mostly, the water shoots about 4 feet above the ground, but every so often it shoots 10 to 15 feet into the air.
The fountain opened in 1987, the same year Clement Park was dedicated. Foothills Park and Recreation took control of the park in 1989.
The fountain system is outdated, needs regular maintenance and doesn’t work at times.
“What we have now gets clogged daily by shoes and other things that fall through grates,” Insley said.
The district applied for a grant earlier this year through Great Outdoors Colorado but was not awarded any funding. But according to parks operations and planning coordinator Brenda Nix, she’s gotten good advice on how to apply this time and is confident it will be successful.
The bid is due in November and announcements will come in March 2016. If Foothills receives the $350,000 it requested, the fountain construction would begin in September 2016 with the hope of being ready for summer 2017. Tentative plans include a sort of interactive water feature with splash pads, improved landscaping and new shelters for parties and extra shade.
“I think it would be exciting for kids who come here all the time to have more to do,” Nix said.
The fountain is regularly visited throughout the summer by daycare facilities, regular park users and families who attend sports tournaments. According to 2012 estimates, more than 27,000 people used the fountain that summer. The fountain is operating, weather permitting, from Memorial Day through the Summerset Festival, which is Sept. 18-20 this year.
One group that regularly uses the fountain is the Outdoor Adventures camp, run by the Foothills Park and Recreation District. About 30 to 40 kids in the camp visit the fountain once a week during the 11-week program.
Site director Darci Bloemendaal said the kids love the fountain but there are times they go to the park and can’t use it.
“I will tell you that in last several years, because of plumbing issues, sometimes it doesn’t work and staff is working on it,” she said. “The kids are sad because they can’t play in fountain.”
The fountain’s upgrade was one of the more popular items on the , which was approved in late 2013. Earlier this year, the district got a to go toward the park and will be using some of those funds to match the Great Outdoors Colorado grant.
“This would be a small part of the master plan, but with the big Jeffco grant from last year, we’re starting phase one,” Nix said.
Phase one is largely replacing old irrigation infrastructure. The overall master plan estimates $24 million in repairs but will likely be implemented slowly as funds are available.
Joe Vaccarelli: 303-954-2396, jvaccarelli@denverpost.com or twitter.com/joe_vacc
