Design plans to begin for new amenities in Lawton parks

Splash pads planned for Lawton parks will be smaller amenities that require less maintenance.

City Council members made that decision Tuesday as they responded to city staff questions about exactly what they want to see in Lee West Park and East Side Park. Both are slated for a series of upgrades designed to make them more inviting to youth — including the addition of splash pads.

Splash pads and spray parks are recreation areas that typically feature spraying water. Lawton already has two, and City Engineer Joe Painter said the staff and architectural design firm’s assumption was that the council wants splash pads similar to the one in Elmer Thomas Park. That area is significantly larger than the one in south Lawton’s George M. Lee Park and has more water features.

Painter said architect Daniel Smith is ready to move into the design phase, and he needs to know exactly what the council has in mind.

Council members indicated they want facilities that are 600 to 800 square feet, large enough to entertain youth but small enough to be easily managed and not require supervision whenever they are open.

“We want to give kids and adults a place to cool off, not spend $1 million to do that,” said Ward 8 Councilman Randy Warren, adding what he has in mind are small areas with water shooting from the ground, areas half the size of the Elmer Thomas Park spray area and ones that are low maintenance.

And, scaled down splash pads will more easily fit into neighborhoods with smaller parks, Ward 6 Councilman Bob Weger said.

Council members said splash pads are not the only amenities that will be added to parks, starting with Lee West and East Side.

Mayor Stan Booker said Lee West Park needs parking, something East Side Park already has because of the athletic fields located there. Lee West Park is the home of the city’s heavily-used Thunder basketball court, and the residential street on the park’s south side often is so blocked by parked vehicles that residents adjacent to the park have trouble getting into and out of their driveways.

Warren, who represents the area, has been arguing for the need for a designated parking area for more than a year, and said parking along the park’s east and south edges is fine.

“Get everybody off the street,” he said.

Another planned amenity is restrooms, something envisioned for Lee West in the park’s Phase II upgrades. Painter said those restrooms will be buildings, adding the staff recommendation was not to add those structures at first. Ward 3 Councilwoman Linda Chapman also asked whether park benches are planned.

“That’s what we want from the council,” Painter said, explaining staff wants to know what amenities the council wants to see in this first phase before design plans begin.

Smith will craft conceptual designs that he will bring back to the council before proceeding into construction plans, Painter said.

Council member have said they want the splash pads built as soon as possible. It’s upgrades they are considering as they make decisions about replacing the aging and deteriorating municipal swimming pool in south Lawton with new water amenities, including an aquatics center planned for Elmer Thomas Park.