West Point river park to enter next phase after more funding approved

Published 12:00 am Friday, August 14, 2015

By Donny Karr

dkarr@civitasmedia.com

A view of the river park area under construction shows where city workers have stripped away metal walls on one of the property’s buildings in order to create an open pavilion area with restrooms. West Point City Council on Monday approved additional funding for its Downtown River Park — $135,000 to move forward on the second phase of construction.

http://lagrangenews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/37/2015/08/web1_WEB0816RiverPark.jpgA view of the river park area under construction shows where city workers have stripped away metal walls on one of the property’s buildings in order to create an open pavilion area with restrooms. West Point City Council on Monday approved additional funding for its Downtown River Park — $135,000 to move forward on the second phase of construction.

Donny Karr | Daily News

WEST POINT — The city is moving closer to completing its long-awaited Downtown River Park, which will feature a large, open pavilion and splash pad next to the Chattahoochee River.

City Council voted unanimously to approve additional funding for the park during a meeting Monday. The approved $135,000 will allow the city to go forward with its second phase of the construction process.

“These funds will be used to complete the connector sidewalk from City Hall to the park, and for a boat ramp which will accommodate all types of boats, including motorized vessels,” said council member Gerald Ledbetter.

The funds will be allocated from its Forward Fund, which is the city’s pilot fund received when it agreed to allow Kia Motors to establish a plant in West Point.

The ramp located at the edge of the site of the Downtown River Park will be used only for kayaks and other non-motorized boats to be launched into the Chattahoochee River.

“The other ramp will be located directly across the river from City Hall,” said council member Steve Tramell. “It’s on a spot where local residents already park at to fish and enjoy the river, so we want to help open that up for people to enjoy.”

The Downtown River Park will also feature a splash pad, which is being constructed by Aqua Dynamics Inc., a company based in Jonesboro. The company submitted a bid last month of $75,325 for the construction and installation of the fountain components that accompany the splash pad’s design.

“A splash pad has been a topic of discussion among people in our community for a while now,” said Mayor Drew Ferguson. “Something like that would be a great attraction for our people to come and enjoy.”

The splash pad will contain nine directional water jets that will expel about 22.5 gallons of water per minute. It will also include two larger ground geysers that will produce 18 gallons per minute. The addition will have 12 LED lights installed inside the splash pad, which will emit different color lighting at various intervals. The total output of water for the entire splash pad is estimated to be 40.5 gallons per minute.

Concept drawings for the park show the splash pad being placed next to a walkway near the Chattahoochee River. The walkway will extend around the circumference of the park and officials plan to include park benches for seating along the edge of the walking path.

Hyundai Dymos donated $300,000 last year to the city to fund the construction of the Downtown River Park. The project was originally planned to be funded with $450,000 from the city’s Forward Fund and $50,000 from its MEAG gas fund. The $135,000 that the council approved Monday is in addition to those original funds.

Donny Karr is a reporter at LaGrange Daily News. He may be reached at 706-884-7311, ext. 2154.