Donner Park splash pad project funding to be decided Monday

ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. — Will Donner Park in Atlantic Beach get its own splash pad? 

The Atlantic Beach City Commission is deciding Monday if it can afford the project to go on as planned. 

The splash pad would go between the basketball courts at Donner Park and only be open during park hours.

“We need something in the area for our kids. We don’t have anything around in this area that our kids can walk to,” Atlantic Beach resident Ida Whitfield said. 

Whitfield and her grandkids live just steps from Donner Park. She says many of the neighborhood kids use the park and says a splash pad is a much-needed amenity in the community. 

“Any addition to our park is a good thing anything to keep these kids out of trouble and off the streets,” Whitfield said. 

Donner Park has basketball and tennis courts, a playground and a community center and included in the park’s master plan is a splash pad. 

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Ellen Glasser was mayor of Atlantic Beach when the splash pad was added to the city’s budget but Interim City Manager Joe Gerrity says with the cost of labor and supply chain issues, the cost was more than the city expected. 

“We put it out to bid several months ago before I got here, and the price came in about $800,000. Direction from the commission was to find an alternative because those dollars were not budgeted, so we came back with a price of about $600,000,” Interim City Manager Joe Gerrity said. 

Gerrity says even with the funding set aside, the city is still about $200,000 short. 

“We have to be very careful of taxpayer dollars,” Atlantic Beach resident Joseph Schwarz said. 

The Atlantic Beach City commission will talk about its budget Monday. Atlantic Beach residents have expressed concerns about the price, but Glasser argues it’s worth it. 

“Eighteen-percent of the Atlantic Beach population is under 18,” Glasser said. “The kids who come here, it’s not as easy for them to get to the beach, Hannah Park or swim lessons, we don’t have a community pool.”

At Monday night’s commission meeting, the commission is expected to decide if it will direct the city manager to reallocate funds from other unfinished projects for the splash pad, negotiate an agreement with the developer and present to the commission for approval.