Splash Pad enhances community park

Twining Park in Monroe, Wisconsin, is a community gem featuring the Swiss Band Shell, baseball diamonds, sand volleyball courts and disc golf. It provides the backdrop for a live nativity in the winter and comes alive with Independence Day festivities and sports during the summer. The park serves a broad purpose and offers a wide range of recreational amenities.

In 2020, the Green County Leaders, a program that develops community-focused leaders, had another idea – a splash pad – to draw more people to the City. The location already offers playgrounds, updated restrooms and a park shelter.

The Green County Leaders worked with Commercial Recreation Specialists (CRS) in Verona for the concept design. Because of our strong relationship with City officials and our knowledge of Monroe's water systems, Fehr Graham came on board to take the project from concept to completion.

We worked with CRS and Water Odyssey to develop alternate design plans to give City leaders choices. Our team provided all engineering, design, permitting and public bidding for the project.

The Green County Leaders wanted the design to accommodate a wide range of age groups, support wheelchair-friendly design elements and adhere to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. We developed the site design and project specifications to include water flow throughout the 3,000-square-foot splash pad. We designed a seating pavilion to connect the splash pad with a nearby playground, and we incorporated a patio with sunshades and benches with clear sight lines to easily supervise children. We were proactive and included plans to accommodate future trail connections.

The sidewalk design was extended to provide easy access to a nearby parking lot and Fehr Graham landscape architects provided a highly functional landscape design while factoring in future maintenance concerns.

The unique plan will allow water to flow from the splash pad through an infiltration basin to a bioswale. This will allow chlorinated water to filter naturally and recharge groundwater before it safely flows back into nearby Honey Creek.

We completed all permitting early to give the City time to purchase equipment before bid letting, which saved money and reduced lead times. We also provided all information to help the group apply for a Tourism Capital Grant Program to help fund the project.

The community-driven splash pad project has become another plus for popular Twining Park.