ROBERTSDALE, Alabama --- Officials from the city of Robertsdale and Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon cutting and grand opening for the city’s new splash pad on Tuesday, July 24, beginning at 9:45 p.m.

Robertsdale city employees and their families got the first taste of the city’s new splash pad on Thursday, May 24 at the annual picnic at Garrett Park and the facility was opened to the public on Memorial Day Weekend.

At its meeting Monday, May 7, City Council members approved a set of rules 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.

A sign was erected 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.

In the only action during an abbreviated meeting on Monday, the Council voted unanimously with all Council members present to renew the city’s $2 million emergency line of credit.

Murphy said the line of credit is opened during hurricane season to cover any damage costs from possible storms while claims are being processed.

Following the Council meeting, Murphy handed out employee service awards to 13 employees, most of whom were in attendance at the meeting.

Awards included:

30 years: Sarah Duncan.

25 years: Timmy Wilson and Perry Young.

15 years: Darrell Campbell, Steven Williams, Jason Hughes and Reggie Henderson.

5 years: Bradley Rose, Willie Williams, Johnathan Ballard, Timothy Steiner, Christopher Wilson and Michael Baggett.