City’s splash pad may be open by Memorial Day

Sparta Board of Mayor and Aldermen held their regularly scheduled meeting Aug. 21 during which they approved the purchase of new playground equipment and equipment needed to create a city splash pad.

“Hoyt [Jones] and I met with Rec Concepts yesterday,” Mayor Jerry Lowery told the board, on Aug. 21 “We pushed them for a Memorial Day week opening. They said it’s possible. So hopefully by the end of the school year next year, we can be turning on the water,”

After Lowery told the board about his meeting with Recreational Concepts, the company Sparta is contracting with to install the new playground, the board unanimously voted to approve the purchase of equipment. The city is buying playground equipment in the amount of $1,107,744.07, Forever Lawn Turf in the amount of $427,726.75, and an Aquatix Splashpad Playground in the amount of $1.7 million.

City Administrator Tonya Tindle told the board that by approving the purchases now, they were coming in $60,000 under budget. Public Works Director Dillard Quick told the aldermen they would need to do some preparation to the land, located beside the YMCA, on Polk Street, including sewer and runoff pipes, as well as putting in a parking lot, but that they could begin work soon now that the purchases had been approved.

The other big item on the agenda included the decision to cease adding fluoride to the city’s water. Previously, Lowery had explained that most people were using water filters – either whole home or on their drinking water – which were pulling the fluoride out anyway. The board approved stopping the additive, which means that once the city’s current supply of fluoride is used, Sparta’s water will become fluoride-free.

In an effort to create incentives to keep employees working for the city long term, the board approved a change to the way they provide vacation time. Under the change, employees can begin accruing vacation time after 90 days of employment rather than waiting 12 months as in the past. Additionally, at their fifth-year anniversary, they can begin accruing two weeks of vacation time.

“It doesn’t cost the city anything,” Tindle said, explaining that whether they were paying eight hours of working or eight hours of vacation, it was the same expense to the city. “It’s just a little incentive to keep employees. If they leave and go somewhere else, they will have to start over with accruing that time.”

The board approved other purchases including a new 300hp High Service Pump and computers and software for the water department.

Before the meeting was adjourned, aldermen were given time to review updates from each of the city’s department heads which included the codes department informing them the old Taco Bell building had been torn down, buildings on the site of the new health department are being demolished, and the old Peacock Gas Station had been torn down, and new tanks were installed for Dairy Queen.

The next meeting for Sparta Board of Mayor and Aldermen will be 5 p.m., Sept. 4, at Sparta City Hall.