By ADAM ZANGARI

First announced in 2020, the Oakland Beach Splash Pad project to build the splash pad and an adjoining playground behind Iggy’s is now scheduled for a late October opening.

Lucena Bros., Inc., a construction company based in Woonsocket, is currently under contract with the city to build the playground and splash pad, according to Planning Department Director Tom Kravitz.

Planning Department personnel do not expect the project to be delayed any further, noting that all materials needed for the project have already been ordered.

Delays in the past, according to prior Beacon reporting, have been due to how long it took to get approval from the Coastal Resources Management Council and Department of Environmental Management (DEM) for both the playground and splash pad. Mayor Frank Picozzi also said in October that the design process “took a lot longer than I would have liked.”

The total project is expected to cost $1,710,900, according to Kravitz. Much of that cost is grant funded, with Kravitz saying that the “lion’s share” of the funding came from a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).

Other grantees include the DEM, who provided a $400,000 grant, and the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank, who contributed $225,000.

Plans to build the splash pad and playground were announced in July of 2020, when then-mayor Joseph Solomon unveiled plans to build the pad. Another important aspect of the project was installing a new ADA-compliant boardwalk to help increase beach accessibility. That was completed before construction on the playground and splash pad began.

The playground is on the same timeline as the splash pad, according to Kravitz.

The design of the splash pad is based around a pirate theme, with a treasure chest dumping water on those in the splash pad and the floor being designed as a treasure map.

The pad will become the city’s first, providing an oasis in what has been a splash pad desert in the West Bay. Picozzi said in a statement that filling that gap in the city was a major reason why the city was looking to get the pad built.

“One of my highest priorities has been and will continue to be to improve the quality of recreational opportunities in the city to improve the quality of life,” Picozzi stated.

While the city’s kids will have to wait one more summer before having a brand-new facility to cool off, Picozzi said that getting both that and the playground done were priorities, along with other longer-term recreational infrastructure such as the City Hall ice rink, which construction began on recently, and plans to renovate Mickey Stevens Sports Complex.

As those projects commence, Kravitz and Picozzi hope that the city can close the book on the splash pad and playground in less than four months.