Victoria Council Votes on $1.2 Million Splash Pad at Riverside Park's Children's Park

Victoria families could have a splash pad at the Children’s Park in Riverside Park by next spring. The City Council votes Tuesday on a contract of up to $1,220,164.44 to design and build it, and a foundation is covering $553,000 of the cost.

The council meets at 5 p.m. Oct. 20 in council chambers at 107 West Juan Linn Street, according to the agenda packet. The splash pad is the first action item.

A gift with a name attached

The Marsha Shanklin Foundation has given the Parks and Recreation Department $553,000 for the Riverside Park project. The foundation asked that the money go to a splash pad named for Marsha Shanklin, according to the staff memo. The city’s 2021 Parks and Recreation Master Plan had already listed a splash pad as a desired amenity for the Children’s Park at 532 McCright Drive.

The rest of the money comes from the VSTDC budget, according to the memo. The memo does not spell out that acronym or say how much VSTDC will pay. The splash pad was budgeted for fiscal 2026. Staff say it is part of a larger upgrade of the area that will also add a new playground.

The contractor is Lonestar Recreation of Texas, LLC, hired through the BuyBoard purchasing cooperative. The company would handle concept design, design development and construction documents. Its proposal shows an inclusive splash pad with play zones for all ages, a custom design inspired by Texas native animals, and a recirculating water system housed in an above-ground mechanical enclosure. Work would start by Jan. 30, 2027, weather permitting, and the contract runs no later than April 30, 2027.

Downtown Victoria, photographed in 2008. Photo: Billy Hathorn / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Trash bills go up for businesses

The council is also asked to approve a 7.4513% rate increase for Waste Management, which collects commercial dumpsters under a contract signed in 2021. Under that contract, rates can change with the Houston-area Consumer Price Index. About 4 percentage points of the increase pass along a higher charge from Republic Services at the landfill, according to the memo.

In the memo’s example, a 6-cubic-yard dumpster emptied once a week would go from $155.18 to $166.74. The new rates would take effect Nov. 1. The company’s rate letter shows a diesel price index up almost 72% from April 2025 to April 2026.

Under the city manager’s reports, staff will update the council on landfill and compost rates:

• City waste disposal at the landfill rises 2.33%, from $34.97 to $35.78 a ton.

• The rate for third-party haulers rises 4%, from $63.16 to $65.69 a ton.

• At the compost facility, run by TDS Gardenville in year seven of a 10-year contract, city brush rises from $52.89 to $57.09 a ton and third-party brush from $59.50 to $64.22, an increase of 7.94%.

Fixing a washed-out culvert

The council will also consider awarding $803,150 to Taylor Bridge, LLC to stabilize the West Outfall Creek culvert at West Stayton Avenue. According to the memo, river flooding eroded the site, which could put at risk the bridge from Stayton Avenue into Riverside Park at The Pumphouse Restaurant. TxDOT reported in 2024 that the downstream apron had broken up.

The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is funding the repair through its Emergency Watershed Protection Program and has already paid $155,000 for engineering. The city’s required 25% share of construction, $200,788, would come from the General Fund. The city threw out the first round of bids because of a quantity error in its own bid documents and asked for bids again in September.

Residents can speak during citizen communication or when an item is called. The full packet is posted on the city’s meeting portal.

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