Capaha Park's splash pad opening likely delayed until 2020

Cape Girardeau's new splash pad has yet to make a splash. It's still not operational and may not open until next spring, city parks and recreation director Julia Jones said Wednesday.

Site work on the $470,000 project at Capaha Park began last fall with removal of concrete remnants of the city's first public swimming pool, which was closed in 1955, filled in with dirt and planted over.

The splash pad and the plumbing work were done this spring, Jones said.

The pad will have water features ranging from sprays to a "bubbler," Jones told the Southeast Missourian in June. "I think there are going to be 16 different elements."

City officials had hoped to open the splash pad this summer, but that did not happen.

Jones said she's unsure whether the city will open the splash pad this fall. "We will just have to see how all that timing works out," she said.

Part of the project involves construction of a restroom facility that will also house the pumps and mechanics of the adjacent splash pad.

Drainage improvements had to be made at the site before construction could begin on the restroom facility.

The mechanical equipment can't be installed until the restroom building is finished, Jones said.

Work on the restroom structure was delayed for months after bids for the masonry work came in more than twice as high as the city had estimated.

"We had to rebid twice," she said. "The second time, nobody bid on it."

Jones said the situation resulted from the fact "there are very few masonry companies and everyone is super, super busy; so, they can command a high price."

In March, the Cape Girardeau City Council accepted a $39,176 bid from Boulder Construction LLC.

The masonry walls now have been constructed, but city parks crews must finish framing in the building and installing the roof, Jones said.

Once that is completed, the electrical work can be done and the mechanical equipment for the splash pad installed, she said.

Meanwhile, construction is nearing completion on an adjacent parking lot at a cost of about $100,000, Jones said.

"We figured we might as well do the parking because there wasn't enough parking," she said.

The project involved removing a large, grassy island to provide for expanded parking. The grassy island took up space and "all we were doing was mowing it," Jones said.

Brock Davis, parks division manager, said the city wants to have the parking lot finished before the SEMO Fair parade next month. The parade starts at Capaha Park, he said.

Jones said, "We are on a pretty tight time frame."

In addition to the various pieces of the project that had to be tackled, Jones said the wet weather this spring and summer delayed work.

"You can't effectively work in construction when it is so mucky down there. You have to wait until it dries out," said Jones.

Once all the construction has been completed, the site will be landscaped.

"It will probably work out where we have a nice, big opening next spring," Jones said. "All the landscaping will be done and everything will look better."

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