Fundraising blitz pays off for Fredonia splash pad

The Fredonia Village Board approved $196,000 in contracts for the final design, engineering and construction of a splash pad at Marie Kraus Park last week.

The contracts cover almost all of the construction — only electrical work and running the water line remain — and are the result of a short and successful fundraising effort that started in December, Village Administrator Christophe Jenkins said.

Splash pads are outdoor water-jet areas — an increasingly popular amenity for rural Wisconsin communities. Neighboring Belgium has a splash pad near its Village Hall.

“The board was very clear on getting the fundraising done in a year,” Jenkins said. “Now, we are happily sitting in October and it’s a reality.”

Nearly 40 local businesses and private donors donated more than $130,000 to the splash pad. The Village Board designated $100,000 of its American Rescue Plan Act funds to the pad.

While the Rescue Plan funds have to be committed by the start of 2025 and expire at the end of 2026, the village set a one-year fundraising goal for other reasons, Jenkins said.

“We’ve heard of other municipalities that had fundraisers for splash pads for years and the communities just got tired of it,” he said.

The pad received $10,000 donations from Hartmann Sand & Gravel, Casey’s Charitable Fund, Petersen Products and the Fredonia Lions.

The owner of Steffen Plumbing, Kim Steffen, and his wife Joan donated $25,000.

The park is being named after Port Washington State Bank, which was the largest contributor, with a matching grant and a donation totaling $50,000.

The village is still fundraising to make sure it can cover the cost of electrical work and running a water line.

“That’s not going to be cheap, but we are finding creative ways of funding it,” Jenkins said.

The village hopes to start construction early in spring to have the splash pad ready by the summer.

Jenkins said the village is shocked at how quickly the community  came together to raise the funds.

“Thank you to the community,” he said.

Village President Dan Gehrke agreed.

“I am in awe of the community and of the sponsoring businesses,” he said.