The Smithville Mayor and Board of Aldermen met last Monday evening in a special called meeting to vote on a proposed splash pad to be located at Greenbrook Park. The board approved a budget amendment on first reading to purchase and move forward with splash pad plan. The splash pad would be a recreational area for water play that has little or no standing water.

Smithville received two separate proposals from companies that sell and install splash pads, one proposal from Great Southern Recreation out of Chattanooga for $170,967, or a $172,900 proposal from Aquatix out of Cookeville. The city has yet to decide which proposal they will go with.

The city will have to add a two-inch meter at the site for the project, but would not have to move any existing buildings in the park.

The city will pay for it, through the general fund surplus, but hope to get a T-Mobile Hometown Grant through the Upper Cumberland Development District, which would provide up to $50,000 to help fund the project. Small towns with populations less than 50,000 are eligible to apply and recipients are selected and awarded on a quarterly basis. Grants are up to $50,000 per town.

If the application is made by December, the city should know by January if the grant is approved, and funding could be awarded by February. The city hopes to have the 2,400 square foot splash pad operational by May, 2022.

The board voted to approve an $180,000 budget amendment to move ahead with the splash pad, as well as pay for the purchase of new Local Government software to help enable online payment of city property taxes. $173,000 is set aside for the splash pad, with $7,000 for the software, with included maintenance and training.