The architect's drawing of a possible plan for the new splash park. Love the turtle! However, for the final plans, community input will be welcomed and encouraged, committee members said.

CHURUBUSCO, Ind. (Town Council meeting, Oct. 7, 2009) – Members of the Muller Memorial Pool committee switched gears and pitched a plan for a new splash park in Churubusco. The Town Council agreed unanimously to accept the gift and take over ownership once the splash pad is built in the park.

“I think this is a great idea,” said council member Viv Sade. “These types of parks are very popular with families.”

“I want to thank you for this gift and I think you’ve heard from all the voting members of this board and we are in agreement that we like the idea,” said Council President Frank Kessler.

The money to build the park will come from a trust set up when Churubusco resident, Paul Muller, died in 2003. Muller left $361,000 to Smith-Green Community Schools for the construction of a swimming pool.

At a recent school board meeting, members of the pool committee told school board members that they were disappointed in giving up their dream of building an olympic size pool in Churubusc0.

“They are disappointed,” said September McConnell at that meeting. “They worked so hard, but felt miles away from their dream of building a pool in Churubusco.”

McConnell is the director of the Whitley County Community Foundation, the administrator of the trust.

At Wednesday night’s Town Council meeting, several members of the Muller Memorial Pool committee were present at the meeting, including Liz Schemm, Don Page and Lucas Konger, a graduate architect for Vintage Archonics of Fort Wayne.

The shift in plans brings the cost of the project from about $500,000 to $1- or 2-million range for an Olympic size pool to under $300,000 for a splash park. The maintenance is much lower, Konger said, as well as liability.

“This is a gift we are offering the town of Churubusco,” Konger said.

Page, brother-in-law of the late Paul Muller, said the recent downturn of the economy had affected the trust – eroding it to $319,000 to date.

With the school board’s and town council’s approval to move forward, the park may be in operation as early as next spring, Konger said.

Busco’s splash pad would be similar to the one in Morsche’s Park (Columbia City), but will use recirculated water, saving money and energy costs, Konger said. The only maintenance is adding chemicals and keeping the water clean.

“The company will train (the park superintendent) so he will be certified to add the chemicals when needed, which is not that often,” Konger said.

Council member John Hart, who also works for the town utilities department, said he would work with the committee, along with Jeremy Hart, town superintendent, to come up with a good location on park property for the splash park.

The school board will now have to petition a judge to overturn the trust directive – something that McConnell said the Whitley County Community Foundation has never requested.

McConnell will then contact the Indiana Youth Institute in Indianapolis about hiring a consultant to redirect the trust, and will bring the information back to the school board within the next few weeks.

If successful, construction could begin in late winter or early spring, Konger said.

CHURUBUSCO, ind. — September McConnell, director of the Whitley County Community Foundation, was on hand at the Smith-Green Board of School Trustees Monday, Sept. 20, to announce that a local committee has switched from proposing the construction of an Olympic size pool at the Churubusco Community Park to building a splash pad (at the park).

“They are disappointed,” McConnell said. “They worked so hard, but felt miles away from their dream of building a pool in Churubusco.”

Several members of the Muller Memorial Pool committee were present at the meeting, including Liz Schemm and Don Page.

Page is the brother-in-law of the late Paul Muller, who was a lifelong resident of Churubusco. When Paul Mueller died in 2003, he left $361,000 to Smith-Green Community Schools for the construction of a swimming pool.

The school decided at that time they could not undertake such a project, and the funds were held in a trust with Whitley County Community Foundation. In 2007, the Mueller Pool Committee was formed with the intent of making Paul Mueller’s dream a reality.

McConnell said the recent downturn of the economy had affected the trust – eroding it to $319,000 to date.

Last year the committee said that the proposed pool project would fall in the $400,000 to $500,000 range for a simple community pool, with more elaborate plans falling in the $500,000 to $1- or $2-million range.

A splash park on the other hand, would cost under $300,000 and require less maintenance, Schemm said.

McConnell said while the committee is very disappointed, they fully support the construction of a splash pad in the Churubusco Park, using the funds bequeathed by Mueller.

“This splash pad would be similar to the one in Morsche’s Park (Columbia City),” said McConnell. “It’s a win-win situation. The costs are lower. It’s low maintenance, no lifeguards are required and splash parks are wildly popular.”

McConnell said Churubusco can also learn from the mistakes made at the Columbia City splash park. “They went with a lower cost park, but ended up paying huge water bills because the water is not recirculated,” McConnell said. “Churubusco is looking at a plan that would include a re-circulatory system.”

In order for the splash park to become a reality – as early as next year, McConnell said – the school board will have to petition a judge to overturn the trust directive – something that McConnell said the Whitley County Community Foundation has never requested.

McConnell said she will contact the Indiana Youth Institute in Indianapolis about hiring a consultant to redirect the trust, and will bring the information back to the school board by October.

“If everything goes as planned, you could see a new splash park in the Churubusco Park as early as next year,” McConnell said.