Nose for News, By Sarah Stultz

I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz lately — and rightfully so — about what will soon be known as the Albert Lea splash pad.

A group of other volunteers and myself have been volunteering for over a year to move this project forward with a goal of raising $160,000.

If you have been in the area where the splash pad is set to be — off of Fountain Street near the north end of Broadway — you’ve likely noticed that construction has begun, and little by little the work is being completed.

When will the attraction be open?

In a meeting last week with several members of the splash pad committee, we discussed how it will likely be about five weeks for the project to be completed.

As with any new endeavor, there have been a few hiccups along the way, but the project is headed in the right direction.

I have been amazed to see the collaboration between many businesses and individuals and for all of the generous donations. Businesses have donated time and money toward the cause, and we got a wave of contributions from residents as well in the last few weeks as people wanted to make their last-minute contributions.

In the last few weeks, I have been busy working on getting the names finalized for the donor recognition.

I will be turning in the names of the donors who contributed more than $100 for the project to be put onto brick pavers later this week, and then in a few weeks, those will be installed at the site.

A group of us also met Monday to discuss how we want to honor our large donors — who contributed over $5,000. This project has seen a plethora of amazing donors, and we want you to know how appreciative we are of your contributions. We couldn’t have done it without all of you.

We are also in the middle of reaching out to area gardeners who may be willing to donate their time and talents for the installation of our landscaping.

This has been a wonderful project to be a part of and to see how it has evolved from the planning phase to actually seeing it come to fruition.

Although it will likely be mid-August when the splash pad opens, and the children will be heading back to school a few weeks later, we wanted to assure that this project was completed the right way and that safety was the No. 1 priority for all who come.

Thank you for your patience, and we look forward to seeing many of you out there with your children and grandchildren.

The splash pad will be a wonderful amenity to add to our growing downtown for many years to come.

Sarah Stultz is the managing editor of the Tribune. Her column appears every Tuesday.