ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — The Robertsdale City Council approved a request Tuesday to solicit bids for the city’s proposed splash pad at Garrett Park.

After a pair of public meetings on the proposed water park, which will be located at the corner of Pennsylvania Street and Park Drive at the entrance to Garrett Park, council members voted unanimously at the Oct. 3 meeting to move forward with the proposed 2,000 square foot facility which has a $135,000 budget for 2012.

At its meeting Nov. 7, the council voted unanimously to contract with JM Dawson and Co. to provide materials for the splash pad.

The company, headquartered in Pelham with regional offices in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., will provide fixtures at a projected cost of $81,000, and will act as a consultant on the project, which will be 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.

Mayor Charles Murphy said at the November meeting that plans to increase the water pressure required for the pad, while fixing an issue with water pressure along Hammond Street, have already been completed for the project.

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.

Because JM Dawson is a state-approved contractor, the city does not have to bid out the project, Murphy said, but with the council’s unanimous approval on Tuesday, bids will be solicited for the concrete work for walkways on the project and for the cool decking which, explained City Engineer Greg Smith at Monday’s meeting, contains pockets that trap water to keep the pad’s surface cool.

Plans are to have the project completed and ready to open by May 2012.

Smith also presented plans at Tuesday’s meeting for a proposed restroom facility connected with the splash pad. The proposed project would include three commode facilities on the women’s side and two commodes and two urinals on the men’s side.

The proposed facility would be constructed of concrete with stainless steel fixtures, Smith said. It would also include an overhang area surrounding the building to provide shade.

“We wanted to do something nice, but at the same time we could go in and use a pressure washer to clean it when necessary,” Smith said.

Murphy said because the restroom facility would cost less than $50,000 to complete, it would not be necessary to bid the project.

In other business Monday, the council met with members of the Central Baldwin Baseball League to address concerns.

League Representative Kevin Beaupre addressed council members at Tuesday’s meeting with the following concerns:

• That the fields be opened sooner and be kept open longer.

• That the council reconsider the limitation of three tournaments per year which would allow the league to raise money for pitching machines.

• That the concessions be allowed to sell other products or that Coca-Cola provide a more competitive price for concessions.

In addressing the concerns, Murphy stated that the city would consider having fields open longer provided that doing so would not hinder grass growth; asked that if raising money was a concern for the League, they should allow the city to consider the possibility of purchasing the machines, rather than hold tournaments at additional cost to the city; said Coca-Cola products were sold at concessions because the company donated scoreboards for the fields and that consideration would have to be addressed if any changes were to be made in the concessions.