The City of Hiawatha sits on the far northwestern edge of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Area — a community of sustained growth and commitment to attracting and retaining residents. When leaders began envisioning areas for development, the northern limits of the city looked particularly promising. And with the creation of some new residential neighborhoods came the desire to develop park and recreational areas to match.

In 2018, Hiawatha City officials realized that the previous park and recreation plan for the City was in need of updating. This updated document, the Parks and Recreation Vision Plan for the City of Hiawatha, is an extension of the old plan and provides current insight into the existing conditions of the parks as well as concepts for new park and recreational spaces within the community.

Turtle Creek Park is a product of that vision. Located just south of Fitzroy Road, the City saw great opportunity to develop a large vacant parcel into a new neighborhood recreational space and reached out to MSA to lead the charge. MSA had been working with the City on a master plan for the project which included a multi-phase approach to ultimately providing site grading, stormwater management, the construction of a new concessions/restroom/shelter building, ADA-compliant playground, splash pad, sports fields, trail loop, connections to an existing trail system, and parking areas. MSA would see that master plan through final design, bidding and construction.

The splash pad at Turtle Creek Park posed a unique opportunity for MSA engineers, who needed to solve the challenge of discharge from the splash pad. Many splash pad installations utilize a recirculation system which treats and reuses water during operation. For the Turtle Creek project, the proposed budget precluded the utilization of the more expensive recirculation system and the lack of a nearby City sewer main ruled out a typical pass-through-to-sanitary design. MSA engineers got to work concepting a flow-through splash pad that would, instead, discharge to surface water in a creek adjacent to the park. However, a surface discharge would require an NPDES permit, Iowa DNR facility plan and anti-degradation analysis review, dichlorination, and strict monitoring measures. MSA worked with City leaders and the DNR on an acceptable design and were successful in permitting a surface discharge for a splash pad for just the second time in Iowa history.

The result is a zero-depth-entry circular splash pad with a variety of motion-triggered geysers and user-activated ground spray features. Many of the ground features incorporate a patented “SafeSwap” technology whereby the ground features can easily be replaced with a vertical feature to further upgrade the facility at a future date. The second phase of the installation planned for various vertical features including umbrella-shaped fountains, circulating pinwheel features and a rotating trio of buckets that slowly fill and tip water on eagerly awaiting children below.

The ADA-compliant and inclusive playground includes a colorful Northwoods theme with large green pine tree accents, brown wood-like panel details and decorative elements that reflect the natural environment: rocks, turtles, butterflies and leaves.  The playground surfacing is a series of rubber tiles which provide a soft and safe foundation for kids at play.  The surface also meets ASTM and ADA standards for those with mobility assist devices such as wheelchairs, strollers or walkers.

This on-site stormwater management system collects local stormwater runoff for detention and treatment as well as accommodates treatment for the splash pad discharge. Additionally, MSA designed the stormwater cell with a unique controlled discharge structure and gate valve so that the City can flood the area in the winter to accommodate ice skating, broomball, hockey and other winter activities. Other all-season components of the project include a large area for sports and a paved looping trail system that winds around the perimeter of the park property.

Finishing touches at the new Turtle Creek Park in Hiawatha include perennial and native landscaping as well as areas of no-mow grassed mounds for minimal maintenance. The park celebrated its much-anticipated grand opening with a ribbon-cutting celebration on July 26, 2022.