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Beaver Creek continues splash pad discussion

Lead Summary
,
By
Lori Sorenson

Beaver Creek City Council members discussed the finer points of splash pad entertainment at their Wednesday, Aug. 14, meeting.
In July the council agreed to explore options for a splash pad in the city park near the ball diamond on the southeast side of town, and last week they studied possible plans and costs.
Rough drawings call for a 20-by-40-foot oval splash pad surrounded by an 8-foot-wide observation deck attached to a wider cement deck between the splash pad and the picnic shelter.
Plans also call for cement decking along the north side of the shelter house.
A cement pad would house a fenced outdoor pump, which would save the expense of an equipment shed and prevent corrosion associated with trapped indoor moisture. Its fence would share the baseball diamond backfield fence.
The pump, which isn’t much louder than an air conditioning unit, activates the water spray jets for 10, 15 or 20 minutes at a time with the press of a button, similar to a public hot tub.
The water jets would operate on a timer that allows their use between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. during the summer months between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
In their discussion about splash park costs to Beaver Creek taxpayers, council members considered that the impact of the project on 127 households in town would be nearly $800 per household.
The exact cost to taxpayers would depend on grants and donations that could possibly offset expenses.
In July the council voted to proceed with plans for the splash park not to exceed $100,000.
But Wednesday’s discussion considered up to $120,000 in decking, equipment and amenities, including a $25,000 elevated dump bucket that slowly fills with water and then spills out onto children below.
“Kids really love it,” said Beaver Creek maintenance worker Travis Helgeson. He’s been working with Jason Rauk researching splash park options and potential grant funding sources.
Rauk and Helgeson had visited the $250,000 splash park in Larchwood, Iowa, as a basis for some of their ideas.
The council took no action on the project, awaiting further grant information.
 
Tax abatements
Council members also discussed Rock County’s housing tax abatement program, which Beaver Creek will participate in.
Mayor Josh Teune attended the Aug. 6 County Board meeting to express interest in joining the county in tax abatement.
The tax abatement would apply to new construction only and be limited to five years commencing with occupancy.
Tax percentages vary between taxing districts.
In Beaver Creek the county’s portion of the property taxes is 10 percent, the city’s portion is nearly 75 percent and the school district is 15 percent.
By joining with the county, Teune hopes the incentive will boost interest in the new housing developments near the developing golf course in Beaver Creek.
One of the first residents to potentially benefit from the tax abatement would be Chad Rauk who submitted a building permit request to the council for a $498,000 home to be built in Beaver Creek.
An abatement could save this homeowner upwards of $6,000 per year depending on tax value.
If adopted, the new housing tax abatement program would be offered to anyone interested in building a new house in Rock County.
A draft of the county’s new housing incentive program is on the agenda for discussion and possible adoption at the Sept. 3 commissioners meeting.

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