Waterville gets $38,000 for water games
On the snowiest of these last days of 2017, children from Waterville’s La Passerelle elementary school gathered together in the Waterville community hall to hear good news for next summer. Thanks to a $38,000 grant from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs (MAMOT), the town has secured enough funding to move ahead with the installation of a new splash pad at Bellevue Park
“Our park needed some love,” said Nathalie Dupuis, Mayor of Waterville, explaining that the park is in its fifties at this point and was in need of renewal. “We have made something good now, and the only thing that was left was the splash pad, which we had saved for a second phase because of the cost.”
Dupuis pointed out that work to date on the park has involved installing a new walking and exercise circuit and new play equipment for children. By the time the splash pad is completed the town will have put roughly $275,000 into the green space to make it more attractive, useful, and fun, according to the mayor, with only a small fraction of that having come from the town itself.
“It’s a huge amount of money for a community of 2,100 people.” Dupuis said, explaining that community fundraising, grant applications, support from local businesses, and an
insurance company contest helped secure the funds necessary to improve the park.
“I am very happy to bring this news to Waterville today,” said Saint-françois MNA Guy Hardy, speaking on behalf of Martin Coiteux, the Minister of Municipal Affairs. “Compared to a swimming pool, which has to be manned by student lifeguards, a splash pad will be available for use longer and to more people.”
Dupuis and Hardy took questions from the school children for at least ten minutes following the conference, clarifying how the money was secured, what types of apparatus the town is looking at installing, and clarifying the fact that the installation of the new equipment does not mean the removal of any existing equipment in the park.
One student congratulated the mayor and council on their decision, noting that water games were an appropriate choice for a town called Waterville.
The mayor also congratulated the students for their engagement with the project.
“I was very impressed by the work you did with your teachers,” Dupuis told the students, explaining that although parents offered feedback during community consultations she found it very interesting to hear directly from the children who will be using the park. “I found your research to be serious and a great source of motivation.”
The mayor explained that all of the students researched the question of whether a pool or splash pad would be better for the town and sent letters in to city hall to share their findings. After the letters had been received, Dupuis said that she got regular check-ins from children in the community on the progress of the decision.
“This is where we are in Waterville today,” Dupuis said, stating that although small, the community is very engaged, even among its youngest residents.
Work on the new water park is planned to begin in May or June of next year in the hopes of having the space open to the public by the time schools go out for summer break.