Aldermen pondered spray parks at Tuesday night’s meeting,hearing a presentation by a representative from a company thatspecializes in their development.

John Kilpatrick of Birmingham company Game Time brought adiagram with a proposed layout for aldermen to look over anddiscuss questions and concerns.

Brookhaven Recreation Department Director Terry Reid said he andRyan Holmes, of Dungan Engineering, and Game Time representativeshad been to the three proposed sites for spray parks to look at andconsider which would be the best place to start. He saidBicentennial Park looked to be the best because, while Bethel Parkand City Park both also have water and power, the water lines atBicentennial Park are best suited to service the first spraypark.

Officials had planned to look to the Pearl River BasinDevelopment District for help with funding, but Reid said he hadlearned the agency had used all its funding for the year. Reidsaid, however, that agency officials had told him that some moneymight be freed up in April.

Reid said if that money becomes available, the city could applyfor a 50/50 match grant in July. It would take about three monthsto get the park built.

“I think we can get it from Pearl River, but I think we’ll losea summer,” Reid said.

Kilpatrick told the board that he had figured a model on a$100,000 budget range, but that the price would vary based onbuilding materials and structures chosen for the spray parks.

He mentioned different materials that can be used for thefixtures and nozzles, as well as for the surfaces of the concrete.He said maintenance is low on spray parks, depending on whichbuilding materials are chosen.

“The worst part of the maintenance is the baskets in thedrains,” Kilpatrick said. “Kids will try to put all kinds of thingsdown the drains.”

Kilpatrick said spray parks have at least one activation point,and sometimes two. Therefore, if children are playing in one area,all the functions don’t have to be running at once.

He said the park could run anything from 35 gallons per minuteto 58 gallons per minute, depending on the sequencing of thefixtures.

Ward Four Alderwoman Shirley Estes said she had taken hergrandchildren to a spray park during the summer.

“Before it was over, I was in it, too,” she said. “It was justthat much fun.”

Holmes told the board the engineering fee on the project wouldbe 8 percent, but that Dungan does not ask for the money up front,since financing could be an issue. Plus, he said, even if the citydoesn’t get the funding this year, Dungan is glad to hold on to theplans.

“You’ll get the funding eventually,” he said.

In other recreation notes, Reid told aldermen he had a total of167 volunteer applications on the Bethel Park project.

Reid said he is supposed to touch base with Brenda Lacy of theMississippi Development Authority at the beginning of next week.City officials are pursuing development of the park and volunteerinterest is a key element of the project.