Graphic rendering courtesy of city of Marshall Concept art included in this week’s Marshall City Council agenda materials showed where proposed additional water jets could be added to a splash pad at the new Marshall Aquatic Center.

MARSHALL — A community donor has come forward to support adding some unique features to Marshall’s planned new Aquatic Center.

On Tuesday, the Marshall City Council discussed a proposal to add programmable water jets at the Aquatic Center splash pad.

Parks and Recreation Superintendent Preston Stensrud said the update was “kind of taking a Chevy splash pad and making it a little bit of a Cadillac.”

“The city has recently been in contact with a donor who is willing to sponsor enhancements to our splash pad, in the amount of up to $100,000,” said Marshall City Administrator Sharon Hanson.

Updating the splash pad would take some extra design work by Stockwell Engineers, Hanson said. An updated design agreement came before the council for approval.

Hanson said the $100,000 sponsorship included the $18,000 cost of engineering and design updates.

There has been strong support from the community for the new Aquatic Center project, in addition to the anonymous donor, Stensrud said.

“To date for donations and commitments, counting the splash pad, we’re just shy of $600,000 in sponsorships,” he said.

Council members heard a short presentation on the splash pad updates from David Locke of Stockwell Engineers, and aquatics designer Doug Whiteaker, of Water Technology, Inc.

“What we were asked to do was take a very nice splash pad, and make it very unique,” Whiteaker said.

The proposal added several water valves that could be controlled to spray water at different heights and in different patterns.

“It provides a lot more animation and dynamics to the splash pad,” he said.

It would also be possible to create a display like a fountain show with the valves.

Whiteaker said the particular valves that were being proposed for the splash pad were also low-maintenance and easy to program.

In addition to the update on the splash pad, Locke said Aquatic Center planning has been progressing on time. Pending council approval, the Aquatic Center project would go out for bids this summer.

Council members voted to approve an updated agreement with Stockwell for the splash pad enhancements.

“I think it’s nice to see the community continuing to be engaged about the Aquatic Center,” said council member Craig Schafer.

The city plans to break ground for the new Aquatic Center this summer. A 2023 referendum approved an extension of Marshall’s local sales tax to raise $18.3 million in funding for the project. However, the estimated cost for the center’s base bid package is about $18.95 million, and there are also about $1.47 million in possible bid alternates that could be approved.

Last fall, Hanson and Stensrud said the city was reaching out to potential sponsors or donors to help fill the gap in funding for the full Aquatic Center design.

On Tuesday, Stensrud said the goal was to get to about $1 million in community sponsorships.

“I’m confident that when you see construction, we’ll get a new energy. And I know there’s people out there that are still interested in helping,” he said.