When the City of Powell leaders shuttered the wading pool at Homesteader Park six years ago, they pledged to replace the aging feature with a new splash pad. While it’s taken longer than expected, that promise took a big step toward becoming reality last month: The city council formally accepted a $250,000 federal grant to cover half the cost of a splash pad that will include at least five new water features. Construction is expected to start next spring.

“It’s going to be great,” Councilman Steve Lensegrav predicted at the council’s Sept. 18 meeting.

The splash pad will be built where the wading pool once stood, between the Powell Aquatic Center and the Homesteader Park playground.

The former “frog pond” was a popular spot for youth for decades, but by 2017, the facility was showing its age. The concrete deck was in poor condition, the paint failing and the iconic frog slide was getting a bit grody — not to mention issues with safety and accessibility.

Repairs were estimated to cost more than $35,000 and even then, the pool would have only lasted a few more years, city officials said at the time. It was ultimately ripped out, the frog sold off and the space left vacant while the city sought funding for a new splash pad.

In September 2022, the council agreed to seek a $250,000 grant from the state’s share of federal Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars. And they recently received word from Wyoming State Parks that their request was approved.

“Things are finally chugging along after a year,” City Administrator Zack Thorington reported at the council’s Sept. 18 meeting, in news welcomed by the council.

“I’ve had a lot of positive comments,” said Powell Mayor John Wetzel. “Everybody’s like, ‘When’s that splash pad coming?’”

The project is estimated to cost $500,000, with the city responsible for covering the other $250,000.

On Monday, the council picked a Casper-based firm to engineer, design and manage the construction of the Homesteader Splash Pad. Civil Engineering Professionals, Inc. (CEPI) won the job by submitting a low bid of $45,000. The company’s bona fides include designing splash pads in Bar Nunn and Glenrock in recent years.

CEPI was among three firms that bid the job: Pryor Mountain Engineering of Cowley — which handled the splash pads in Cody and Cowley — offered to do the work for $75,650, while Oasis Waterplaygrounds of Houston offered to complete the entire project for $499,900.

Although Oasis’s bid indicated that the engineering would cost $50,000, City Administrator Zack Thorington said their proposal didn’t meet the requirements laid out in the city’s request for proposals. He added that the $499,900 price “they pretty much got from calling me and saying, ‘What’s your budget?’”

Under Land and Water Conservation Fund rules, the city was obligated to go with the low bidder, Thorington added.

CEPI plans to start work next month and complete a conceptual design by Dec. 1, according to a tentative project schedule. The city will then have about a week to review the plans.

Councilors indicated at last month’s meeting that they’d like to provide an opportunity for the public to provide input on the design. Councilman Floyd Young said he’d like to incorporate some seating and Wetzel mentioned a need for some shaded areas; Thorington said the hope is to keep as many of the existing trees as possible.

After the city’s initial review, CEPI will start on a 95% design, which will be reviewed by the city again between late December and early January. CEPI hopes to be ready to go out for construction bids in late January and award a contract by March 5. The firm expects construction to start in April and continue for more than a year, with a grand opening on June 1, 2025.

The city has been hoping to officially open the Homesteader Splash Pad on Sept. 3, 2024, but CEPI adjusted the timeline “based upon our experience with similar projects.” The firm indicated a September 2024 completion date will only be possible “if everything goes right,” Thorington said.