Liberty approves $600K for major water park overhaul at Municipal Park

At its June 10 meeting, the Liberty City Council approved funding of up to $600,000 for a complete overhaul of the Liberty Municipal Park water park, a move city leaders say is both financially responsible and strongly supported by residents.

According to City Manager Bryan Kendrick, the water park — originally purchased in 2004 and expanded around 2014 — has become increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain. Many features have failed over the years, with only a few remaining operational this season. Without intervention, Kendrick said, there was a real possibility the splashpad might not function at all next year.

“The Parks Survey indicated this was a top desire for our community. I believe it’s a huge win/win for everyone in Liberty,” Kendrick said.

The new splashpad will be built by Kraftsman Commercial Playgrounds and Water Parks of Spring, Texas. According to Kraftsman representative Ryan Slott, the upgrade will include demolishing and excavating the current splashpad, replacing all internal water features, and installing a new 4,000-square-foot single-pass water system — meaning fresh water will be used instead of the current recycled system, which has posed challenges in water quality and maintenance.

“All of the internal components will be removed and replaced,” Slott said. “The two shade structures already in place will remain but will receive new fabric covers.”

Slott added that the City’s parks maintenance team has done an unbelievable job keeping the current splashpad running as long as it has.

The project will preserve the existing fencing and shade structures but include all-new interactive water features and enhanced ADA accessibility, including an extended walking path from the adjacent restrooms and new sidewalks.

Construction is scheduled to begin after Labor Day, when the splashpad typically closes for the season. Weather permitting, the entire installation is expected to take about four months.

In addition to improving reliability and user experience, the new system is expected to yield long-term cost savings. The city currently spends an estimated $20,000 annually on maintenance and chemical treatment for the recycled system — expenses that will be eliminated with the new infrastructure.

Kendrick emphasized that the funding for the project will be borrowed from the Cambridge Fund, a zero-interest funding source managed by the City. He noted that the long-term impact on residents is minimal — roughly 21 cents per month per resident, increasing only to about 39 cents per month by 2045. The money borrowed for the water park will be repaid to the Cambridge Fund over time.

Council also discussed a new mindset for managing the Cambridge Fund, which comes from profits from the sale of electricity through the Sam Rayburn Municipal Power Agency. With SRMPA winding down its operations and turning over its electrical system to its member cities – Liberty, Jasper and Livingston, the City of Liberty will no longer be able to rely on annual payments to the Cambridge Fund. This requires looking at the Cambridge Fund differently.

Kendrick proposed treating the Cambridge Fund as a strategic lending source, providing zero interest loans to the City that will be repaid. Currently there is around $7 million in the fund.

“We anticipate there will be one more payment,” Kendrick said. “With what is in the fund and what we’re going to get, we’ll have around $13 million. We can’t lose that. I believe this is the most responsible way to manage that fund.”

While the water park overhaul is a major highlight, it’s just one part of broader improvements planned for Liberty Municipal Park. The City also has plans to upgrade the softball and baseball fields, particularly the concession stands and attached restrooms. Kendrick said the City is still awaiting firm cost estimates for those projects.