‘Rebuild Bullard’ seeks support for spray park, playground upgrade

Provided photos

The Village of Perry opened a spray park in June. The biggest piece resembles a giant serpent. Village lore says a serpent once lived in nearby Silver Lake. Spray parks or splash pads can include characters that play up community history.

ALBION – The Albion Recreation Committee and the Lions Club are brainstorming how to make a spray park and new playground equipment a reality for the community at Bullard Park.

The groups met with a representative from Parkitects on Wednesday to discuss options for a spray park. Those could vary from the most basic model at $66,000 to splash pads that top over $200,000. In Albion’s case that price wouldn’t include the cost of building a new bathroom with a changing area close by. That would be an additional expense.

“It would set us apart and be an attraction,” Recreation Committee member Mike Beach said about the spray park.

He takes his two sons to spray parks in Olcott and Spencerport. The project in Albion would be a draw for local families, and Beach said it would also bring people into Albion, giving the local economy a boost.

The community needs to find a way to fund the project for it to happen. The Lions Club has pledged $10,000 towards it. A concert last month raised about $2,000 for Bullard Park.

Bill Robinson, the Lions Club president, wants to hire a grantwriter to pursue funding from the state and other sources.

Kim Remley, a Recreation Committee member, said grants will likely be the difference-maker in whether the project moves forward.

The Village of Perry in Wyoming County opened a new spray park in June that cost $156,000. New bathrooms pushed the total cost to about $230,000, Remley said.

The Albion group also wants to put in new playground equipment that would be different than the new playground that opened last spring at elementary school. The group will work on cost estimates with Parkitects or another playground provider.

In the meantime, village officials will try to reach out to neighboring towns and the county to help fund the project that would be open to children outside the village.

The next “Rebuild Bullard” committee meeting will be 7 p.m. on Oct. 15 at Hoag Library.

Rebuild Bullard also has a Facebook page. Click here for more information.