More cash for splash expands park feature

There'll be more opportunities for fun at Pineway Ponds Park in Ogden - especially for those who don't mind getting a little wet.

While some smaller changes in equipment have been made over time at Pineway Ponds Park, most notably the new rock climbing wall, the expansion of the splash area will be the first significant change in several years.

The new state-of-the-art equipment includes several stainless steel units that will please kids of all ages, not just the younger set. Some of the highlights are a 10 foot flower with 8 - 10 separate sprinkling petals, a 10 foot stainless steel rainbow with arches in various colors spraying water downwards, and a piece called "Raining Buckets." This 10 foot tall structure has a multitude of buckets that fill with water ad dump sporadically. All of this equipment sits on a specially designed mat that also houses several water spouts that shoot high in the air. Altogether, the elements will be just the thing for cooling off on a hot day. The price tag on the project was $130,000, according to Ogden officials. A grant obtained from Monroe County covered $50,000 of the cost and the rest of the cost was funded by money in the town's reserves. "This money is held in reserve until it's needed and then transferred over to the Operating Fund for use. The money was set aside for this purpose," Ogden Supervisor Gay Lenhard stated. Whenever new housing goes up, every town is required by New York state to collect $500 and set it aside in a fund to be used for public parks. "This way it benefits everyone in the community," Lenhard said.

The addition will be built by the end of summer and will be fully operational for the beginning of the season in the spring of 2005, according to Ogden Recreation Director Eric Bacon.