POCATELLO — A splashpad is coming to OK Ward Park, thanks to a $400,000 donation to the Pocatello Parks and Recreation Department from Idaho Central Credit Union.

The Pocatello City Council unanimously approved the city’s acceptance of the ICCU donation for the splashpad during its most recent regular meeting at City Hall.

John Banks, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, said the plan is fPOCATELLOor splashpad to be put in adjacent to the picnic pavilion and to the right of the path to Brooklyn’s Playground in the existing horseshoe pit area at the park.

Construction on the splashpad facility should begin next year after the design and bidding phase is complete. Banks said it might be “ambitious” to anticipate the splashpad will be ready by summer 2023, but he said he’s hopeful that it could be.

The splashpad area is expected to take up about 2,700 square feet of space and should be able to comfortably accommodate about 100 children at a time. A name for the new community facility has not yet been chosen.

Banks said he’s thrilled about ICCU’s $400,000 donation for the facility. The funds will cover the construction, and the city will work operational fees into its budget.

“It’s challenging to get large sums of money in a budget process with so many competing needs,” Banks said, adding that his department has raised funds before, but this donation from ICCU is going to make an “even a bigger splash.”

The splashpad at OK Ward Park will join others in the Pocatello area. Banks said he thinks this one will attract many people and get tons of use.

“Brooklyn’s Playground is kind of without a doubt the crown jewel of our playground system. We think that having this amenity there will make it that much more popular, so we expect it’s going to be wildly popular,” Banks said. “ICCU has been just wonderful to work with, and we’re really fired up about this.”