Webb Park in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, is nestled within the Popple Nature Area on the western side of the city — conveniently located near downtown, Webb Middle School and the increasingly popular Baraboo River Recreational Corridor. Home to the city’s only municipal pool, this 35.5-acre space is experiencing an exciting transformation of its aquatic offerings with the opening of a new public splash pad.

In the process of reviewing its Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (CORP) against community needs, city leaders commissioned MSA Professional Services, Inc. (MSA) of Madison to conduct a thorough study of the existing community pool at Webb Park and results indicated that while the original pool facility was still in decent working condition, it had a limited life span and would ultimately need replacing. The existing pool is also a traditional style, which means that it lacks the desired zero-entry access of today’s modern pools that have gradual, sloped entries rather than cumbersome stairs and ladders. After a review of potential options, the city opted to pursue a new splash pad at Webb Park, which would provide a fully ADA-accessible and all-ages water recreation solution until the existing municipal pool is eventually repaired or replaced.

The splash pad is a flow-through design with on-demand water feature activation that allows users to initiate splash pad functions with a simple touch of the hand. Features then disable when not in use, conserving on water use and operational costs. The splash pad uses potable water that passes through a specialty drain for primary debris filtration before draining into the city’s municipal sanitary system.

The theme for the new splash pad is “Beaver Springs,” which is a tribute to hometown sports teams, the Reedsburg Beavers, and their fun-loving mascot, Herbie the Beaver. Natural stone block seating is incorporated throughout, with a criss-crossing of water sprays between two blocks to represent an abstract beaver dam. Varied colored concrete on the foundation of the splash pad replicates the shape of a flowing river and select water cannons are topped with whimsical beaver heads while other water features are in the shape of large pine trees, cattails, frogs, leaves, vines and hoops.

The entire splash pad deck area spans 4,342 square feet and is finished with benches, seating areas and shade structures. The splash pad zone proper is 2,729 square feet and features separate areas for toddlers and teens, with lower-profile, low-flow features for the smaller children — situated closer to areas of shade and seating for parents —and higher-flow features at the other end for older visitors. All features are designed to be accessible to all guests, whether in strollers, wheelchairs or with any other type of mobility assist device.

Soon complete, the new splash pad at Webb Park marks phase one of a variety of other upgrades to the property, which will ultimately address improvements to overall park flow and better connectivity within the park’s trail and pathway systems. Other potential additions include disc golf and an expanded playground area so that the park offers ample opportunities to play in both wet and dry zones. Webb Park is also a key inner-community connector in the region and a burgeoning recreational destination. It is located just adjacent to the popular Wisconsin 400 State Trail — a four-season, multiuse trail that currently stretches 22 miles between Reedsburg and Elroy, where it then connects to the 32-mile Elroy-Sparta State Trail, the 22-miles La Crosse River Trail, and the 24-mile Great River Trail — over 100 miles of destination fun!

Image courtesy of City of Reedsburg Facebook page.

Agreeing to make this project a priority, the Reedsburg City Council approved an addendum to its 2017-2021 CORP to officially add the splash pad project to the planning document, rendering it eligible for a variety of state and federal grants. In 2020, the city applied for and received $400,000 in grant funding from the Wisconsin DNR Land and Water Conservation Fund Program. The community also came together for a phenomenal grassroots fundraising effort for the project, collecting over $380,000 from public and private donors. The initiative was also spurred by the dream of local teenager, Jacob Miller, who wanted to give back to the kids in his community after undergoing treatment for Stage 2 Burkitts Lymphoma. Jacob was integral in design and fundraising for the project, collaborating with local businesses, Reedsburg leaders, and the MSA design team to bring his ideas to fruition. These incredible local initiatives, paired with the grant funding, allowed the community to fund the entirety of the project without using any city dollars.

The City of Reedsburg and its 10,000+ residents celebrated the ground-breaking for this much-anticipated project on May 16, 2022. Together, they look forward to making a splash at this new community gathering place for years to come!