By Joyce Kryszak
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wbfo/local-wbfo-985462.mp3
Buffalo, NY – Next summer, residents on Buffalo's East Side will be enjoying a new five-acre wading pool at Martin Luther King Junior Park.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, elected and community leaders Thursday announced that construction on the long-awaited water feature is finally underway. The project has been in the planning for sixteen years as community leaders and some elected officials struggled to secure funding for the $4.5 million jewel of MLK Park.
Masten District Councilman Demone Smith said the community deserves much of the credit.
"Because this wouldn't happen without the community pushing. When we needed to get that final two million out of the capital budget, the community turned out in full force, it filled the auditorium of city hall to make sure this project got done," said Smith.
The wading pool will be used year-round for wading in the summer, as a reflecting basin in the cooler months, and for skating in the winter. It's expected to open in time for next year's summer recreation season. Buffalo's Commissioner of Public Works Steve Stepniak said they are committed to making it a beautiful water feature.
"We want to make this splash pad a regional thing. People are going to want to see what we've done, not just locally, maybe even nationally. We believe nationally this competes with any splash pad out there," said Stepniak. "This is something we've been looking forward to...and we will meet that deadline."
The City contributed a total of four million dollars in capital funds. The remainder comes from grants awarded to the Olmsted Park Conservancy which maintains the park.