Robinette Park upgrades to include splash pad, restroom
Crews will begin prep work in February on a new restroom facility planned for Robinette Park. It is one of many upgrades planned for the park over the next couple of years.
“The Parks and Recreation Master Plan adopted by City Council in early 2023 calls for investments in some of our aging parks,” said Steve Clark, parks and recreation director for the city of Vandalia. “This restroom facility is something park visitors have been requesting for a number of years.”
The facility should be completed by late summer.
“Plans are also underway to replace the playground structure at Robinette Park,” Clark said. “We’re still in the designing stages, but you can expect it to have many of the same inclusivity features that were incorporated into the playgrounds at Helke Park and the Sports Complex.”
There are also plans to construct a splash pad at the park. “The splash pad is a project that probably won’t get underway until at least 2025,” Clark said. “We will also reconfigure the parking area to allow for more cars and a better traffic flow.”
There are also plans to install pickleball courts at Robinette Park. “We’ve seen an explosion in the popularity of pickleball over the past 10 years,” Clark said. “The outdoor courts at Helke Park are in high demand, and we believe a second outdoor option would be utilized often as well.”
Funding for these projects will come from many sources. “We are going to use some of the money we received from the American Rescue Plan Act to fund the restroom construction,” Clark said. “We’re also using grant money from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Community Development Block Grants and the Montgomery County Board of Developmental Disabilities.”
“It’s important that we continue to invest in our parks to keep our amenities among the best in the region,” Clark said.