Rudd group raising funds to build a splash pad

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

Casey Marie Wood and Krysta Scheer of Rudd are leading an effort to install a splash pad in the community.

“We thought it would be a good way to get more kids involved in the town,” Wood said. “Every day we see more new kids here.”

Both Wood and Scheer are educators in the Mason City school district and parents of young children, and they decided that they wanted something for the kids to be able to use and interact with — a place in town for them to play that’s “safe and accessible to all.”

Wood said a lot of area towns that can’t support the upkeep of a swimming pool are getting a splash pad, and cited the nearby towns of Nashua, Clarksville and Bristow as examples.

The cost of a splash pad is currently estimated at about $120,000. The plan is to raise around $200,000 through a combination of public support, fundraisers and grants. Wood said they are anticipating an opening date of spring of 2023.

The goal is to build a permanent recreation and community development facility located at Rudd’s Central Park. Wood said the splash station will include an above ground and surface mounted pad for both wet and dry play.

“We’re really counting on the community and the area communities to really help us support this,” Wood said. “We’re looking at it not only as a place to play in the water, but a place for interactive learning.”

The park board in Rudd is helping to fundraise and donating to the cause, and the city of Rudd has promised to help with upkeep and winterizing. The city also will provide the location, in Rudd’s Central Park.

Wood said she was hoping people will step up and donate their time to the project, as well as funds. Information as to how to get involved is available on the group’s Facebook Page, “Rudd’s Imagination Splash Station.”

The group is hosting a “Color Run” in Rudd to raise funds on Saturday, Sept. 25, and Wood told those interested to keep their eyes open for other fundraising events coming up in the near future. She said they hoped to have a fundraiser every couple of months.