SomerSplash set for expansion

Local News

November 24, 2009

By TRICIA NEAL, Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Tue Nov 24, 2009, 09:02 PM EST

Somerset — Visitors to SomerSplash water park will soon get more bang for their buck. Plans are in the works to add several attractions to the city-owned park by next summer.

Somerset’s city council has awarded a contract to D.W. Wilburn, Inc., for the construction of what will eventually be the largest bowl slide in Kentucky, two speed slides, lazy river bridges, and a children’s wading pool, as well as the addition of more structures to provide shade at the facility.

Water park manager Stephen Sims said the bowl slide would be one of the largest in the United States, with approximately 300 feet of tubing and a bowl large enough to allow riders to circle six to eight times before plunging to the water below. A wading pool for small children will help ease the overcrowding in the existing kiddie pool area — and water park patrons had been requesting more shade structures, Sims added.

The $1.79 million project is expected to be completed by April 15 of next year, in time for the park’s opening in May.

The City of Somerset is not planning to raise admission prices to SomerSplash in spite of the new attractions.

In other news from Somerset’s city council meeting, held earlier this week:

• Councilors passed the second reading of an ordinance which will annex a piece of property on Slate Branch Road into the Somerset city limits. Property owner Allen Mayfield requested to be voluntarily annexed into the city. The property is adjacent to Somerset’s current boundaries.

• Several council members commended the efforts of the city’s fire, police and EMS departments during a recent fire at the Colonial Village apartments. Other councilors mentioned the hard work being done by the street and sanitation department on the city’s leaf collection efforts.

• Councilor Tim Rutherford asked whether the city could save money by changing its method of hiring companies to do engineering work. Mayor Eddie Girdler said the issue is “something we need to look at.”

• Several councilors expressed their congratulations to the Somerset High School and Pulaski County High School football teams. Both teams won regional championship games last Friday.

• Council member Steve Kelley said the city was losing a great asset with the relocation of Sister Marty Conrad of St. Mildred Catholic Church. Mayor Girdler and the council agreed that the city should present her with a package, possibly including a plaque and a City of Somerset flag, to thank her for her contributions to the community.

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Prior to that, the Somerset Water Service — along with the other water providers in its system, including Science Hill Water, Southeastern Water, and Eubank Water — lifted their advisories, with Somerset on Saturday afternoon and the last, Southeastern, by Monday morning. Western Pulaski was the last in the system to complete sample testing for potential contaminants, due to not being able to access its Pikeville-based testing lab until Monday.
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“The boil water advisory went about as well as would be expected,” said Girdler.

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