Wet works

 

 

A child enjoys one of the park's fountains, the "fun-brella." Photo by Vickie Sangster

Residents of Tsawwassen, B.C., can now enjoy their own aquatic park because of the work of Rotarians in District 5040 and the Corporation of Delta. The Rotary Club of Tsawwassen (Delta) designed the facility to be sustainable and educational, which helped the club secure a $10,000 district grant under the Future Vision Plan.

“This park has the twist of heritage and Rotary history,” says club president Leslie Abramson. “It’s a teaching and learning water park, not just fun for kids.”

Because it was once a gravel mining site, the park includes a “rain box” modelled after a gravel sieve, which showers water onto the main “splash pad.” In the middle of the pad sits a large globe-shaped fountain marked with coloured dots to show where Rotarians have carried out water projects, which are explained on nearby storyboards. Children can fill a 5-gallon jerry can from a hand pump, which helps them understand what many people in developing countries must go through daily to get clean water.

Sustainability and accessibility also were central to the project. To reduce water consumption, designers incorporated low-flow nozzles and push-button activation. The rubber splash pad is made from 50 percent-recycled tires, and the park is completely wheelchair accessible.

The 75 members of the Tsawwassen club, their families and friends, as well as building professionals and tradespeople, logged over 2,250 volunteer hours before the park opened on 4 August. To finance the $506,000 project, the club raised $135,000, which the Corporation of Delta matched; the remaining contributions were in-kind donations.

“It wasn’t a hard sell because of the interesting aspects of the park,” says project chair Vickie Sangster. She offers some advice for clubs that are interested in a large undertaking: “Just because it seems insurmountable, it’s probably not. You just need one or two people to steer the ship, but everyone will eventually get on board.”