ROBERTSDALE, Alabama --- Robertsdale city employees and their families got the first taste of the city’s new splash pad on Thursday at the annual picnic at Garrett Park.

Robertsdale City Engineer Greg Smith said city crews were able to put the finishing touches on the pad this past week and the facility passed inspection and was up and running on Wednesday.

At its meeting Monday, May 7, City Council members approved a set of rules to be placed at the park as required by the city’s insurance company with the stipulation that any changes could be made as deemed necessary.

At the Council’s May 18 meeting officials announced that the park would be ready for a test run this week and, if successful, the park would be open to the public soon after Memorial Day.

At Monday’s meeting, the Council approved a set of rules to be placed at the park as required by the city’s insurance company with the stipulation that any changes could be made as deemed necessary.

Mayor Charles Murphy said the rules of operation for the facility would likely not change, except for the hours of operation which are now set at 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. March 15 through Oct. 15.

Murphy said that the facility would likely only be open daily during the summer. Once school is in session, he said, the facility would only be open on weekends.

There will be a sign at the park to display the list, which includes 21 rules most pertaining to safety and liability issues. The sign also includes phone numbers to call to report maintenance-related issues. Hours of operation could be displayed on a separate sign, which could be changed as necessary, officials said.

The City Council voted unanimously in November to contract with J.A. Dawson and Co. to provide materials for the pad.

The company, headquartered in Pelham with regional offices in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., provided fixtures at a projected cost of $81,000, and acted as a consultant on the project, which was conducted by the city’s public works department.

Council members voted unanimously at the October meeting to choose a baseball theme over railroad and farming for the facility. The company has also incorporated a bear, the local schools’ mascot, into the design of the facility.

Murphy said a decision to use a product called cool deck, rather than rubber, cut projected costs for decking on the project in half, allowing the city to spend more money on fixtures for the project.

In March the Council voted to accept a bid from Reynolds Ready Mix for concrete material at a cost of $78 per cubic yard for the project. Reynolds presented the only bid for the project and, Smith said, came in around the budgeted cost.

The Council also received one bid on the cool decking for the project from Cox Pools for $15,750.

The Council rejected bids from Cox Pools and EJ Builders on concrete slab housing and finishing work for the project, saying that Cox Pools did not present a bid based on the bid specifications for the project, and EJ Builders did not meet the specifications or qualifications for the project, which required that bidders present examples of three similar projects.

The decision was then made to use city employees to complete the project utilizing J.A. Dawson as a consultant.