It’s taken nearly four years for organizers to raise more than $52,000 to go toward construction of a splash park in Iola.
But much more is needed.
Now, organizers are appealing to the Iola City Council to take over the project.
Marie Barclay and Donna Houser, speaking on behalf of the Community Involvement Task Force/PRIDE Committee, requested the city take over the project they estimate will cost about $212,000 to build.
“We’ve got traction and we’ve got awareness,” Barclay said, “but there aren’t enough funds for us to achieve what we’re trying to do.”
Despite numerous fundraisers, and the task force’s best efforts to keep the splash park in the limelight — and universal support from everyone they’ve talked to — donations have slowed, Houser noted.
The group also has been unsuccessful in seeking support in the form of grants.
The task force had originally looked at a larger splash park with an estimated price tag of $400,000 before scaling it back to a $200,000 project, Houser noted.
But it’s still apparent private fundraising won’t reach that goal in the foreseeable future.
“We can’t do it without you,” Barclay concluded.
The appeal received an empathetic ear from the Council, but nothing definite.
“I’m not opposed to helping fund this,” Councilman Jonathan Wells said. “But it needs to go through the budget process for an amount like this.
“I can’t, in good faith, agree to a number until we have a deeper discussion with staff going through the proposal.”
Wells and Mayor Steve French noted the city is in the process of lining up its 2026 budget meetings, which hit high gear in June.
The Council’s consensus was for City Administrator Matt Rehder to go over the costs of the project and return with a better handle on what it would cost from here.
French also wondered if the city could make up some of the costs through labor or other in-kind contributions.
Councilwoman Kim Peterson also voiced support, noting the $50,000 raised from the CITF/PRIDE group could be considered a grant to the city. She noted the city also funded other recreational projects in recent months, including a sports court near the Prairie Spirit Trail along South State Street.
