Cape Splash Family Aquatic Center, Osage Centre set to get fresh coats of paint

Two Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation facilities will soon be getting new coats of paint.

Cape Girardeau City Council members voted unanimously to approve Loyd Slinkard Painting Co. Inc. as the contractor for the Cape Splash Family Aquatic Center and Osage Centre paint projects.

In total, the improvements will cost $156,938.

The only other bid for the projects was from Tim Coatings, Inc. — a Minnesota-based contractor — for $374,000.

The $94,213 Cape Splash project will be funded by a portion of the city's hotel-motel tax funds. The lap pool, lazy river and zero depth area of the park have required new paint for around five years because of heavy usage, according to the meeting agenda.

The waterpark is among the most successful attractions in Cape Girardeau. It brings in more than 70,000 visits annually, generating between $800,000 and $900,000 per year during its 95-days of operation. Cape Splash garnered a $767,526 operating budget for fiscal year 2023.

The $62,815 Osage Centre project will be funded through a portion of the city's American Rescue Plan Act funds. Last summer and fall, council members grappled over how the city should use the remaining $1.4 million in federal funding.

Originally, $100,000 was allocated from those funds to the Osage Centre. Painting the exterior was initially expected to cost shy of $80,000, with window improvements taking up the remaining funds.

Doug Gannon, Parks and Recreation director, said at the meeting that the community center has not had significant exterior maintenance since it was completed in 1997. The paint project will help improve the facade of the building while also ensuring its structural integrity, he said.

Leftover funds will be used for additional exterior improvements, including two window replacements that will cost an estimated $22,000.

"It's Cape Girardeau's oldest and most utilized community center," the director said. "Now, we just want to utilize this money to the best of our ability to do some much-needed maintenance on the building."