OLEAN, N.Y. (WKBW) — Construction on a $1.5 million outdoor splash park in Olean could begin as early as this fall and the park could open by Memorial Day 2023.
"I’m hoping this facility sells itself just by people driving by,” Olean City Council President John Crawford said.
The park will not be paid for by taxpayers. $500,000 of that $1.5 million price tag will be from American Rescue Plan funding; the rest will be paid in bonds over fifteen years.
This is what the park might look like:
Olean City Council President, John Crawford, brought the proposal to the council Tuesday night and he said it will draw in tourism.
"For people to come and spend a day or two in Olean and enjoy our downtown which we've worked hard to revitalize," Crawford said. "It benefits the entire community. This will be a place where you can bring your kids and you can become a kid too."
The park would feature a 55-gallon dump bucket, four water slides, and more than fifty play features.
"This would be the largest splash pad in the western part in the state of New York," Crawford said.
"It’s something that you can't replace with a cellphone, tablet or TV,” Olean council member Jason Panus said.
And Crawford said right now, they're looking at tickets being $5 for Olean residents and $7 for non-residents. Crawford said they are thinking on selling tickets for 3 hours of access.
"It helps control the flow,” Crawford said. “We don't want it overused or underused.
"With the revenue, we'll be able to use that for more public works or more projects like this,” Panus said.
And city council members said they hope this project sparks inspiration for more in the future.
"I’m hoping it's like a seed that spreads to the rest of the parks in the city,” Panus said.
The next step is the city council to voting on the project.
