MAKE A SPLASH IN COLFAX. Splash pads are popular additions to public parks throughout the Chippewa Valley – including at Chippewa Falls' Irvine Park, pictured – though Dunn County has yet to welcome its own. A group of local organizers is hoping to change that.

As Chippewa Vallians continue to demonstrate, it takes just one person to make a positive splash – the ripples of which extend to the wider community. In Colfax, that splash is a bit more literal.

Allie Petznick is personally invested in seeing the Dunn County area offer family-friendly places and activities. After all, she was born and raised in Colfax, and is now raising her own family there too.

Playgrounds and parks, of course, quickly come to mind when thinking about spaces for kids to play and for families to congregate. In recent years, upgrades to those areas in the Chippewa Valley have often included the addition of splash pads; splash pads are enjoyed by the public in Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls and Altoona.

Chippewa Falls’ Irvine Park splash pad has been cooling folks off for over a decade, and by 2018, Altoona’s River Prairie also offered the fun public feature. Eau Claire’s Haymarket Plaza opened its large splash pad in 2022, spouting towers of water outside of the Pablo Center by summer.

Dunn County has yet to see a splash pad come to the area, and Petznick is determined to change that.

"This will be the only splash pad in Dunn County so we want to make this a destination play area that will draw families here from up to 45 minutes away. We are still figuring out size and design – a lot will depend on how much money we raise."

ALLIE PETZNICK

PRIMARY ORGANIZER, COLFAX PLAYGROUND & SPLASH PAD PROJECT

“This project was an idea sparked from my family’s love of being alive outdoors. I love to take my young children to explore different playgrounds, pools and splash pads in the warmer months,” she said.

While a great activity to enjoy as a family, those spaces have also been connectors between local kids and adults, Petznick said.

“It is important to me that Colfax families have access to an updated playspace,” she said. “(It could also) bring outside families to visit.”

While designs are still in progress, Petznick said, the above images have offered equipment inspiration.  (Submitted images)

Colfax's fairgrounds – which was approved as the site for the project – has some play equipment, but could use an upgrade. Part of the Colfax Playground and Splash Pad Project includes making the playground ADA accessible, Petznick said.

As a local resident, Petznick is heading the project – aptly dubbed the "Colfax Playground and Splash Pad Project" – which began ramping up in fall 2025. Petznick presented the project to the Village of Colfax administration and, since then, has been greeted by community collaboration and support.

Most advertising about the project has been through Facebook, she said, and there is now a committee of community members helping see the project to fruition. Part of that path includes significant fundraising; the creation of a splash pad and ADA-friendly playground comes with an estimated price tag of about $300,000.

Organizers are selling personalized paver stones, park benches, picnic tables and more to fundraiser for the project. Area residents and local businesses have quickly become significant backers, Petznick said.

Sponsorship options range from personalized paver stones to name placement on the playground are available – all in an effort to reach the project's $300,000 fundraising goal. (Submitted graphic)

“Our biggest gift so far is from the family of the late Dakota ‘Bubba’ Harnisch who donated $50,000 to help ensure the playground and bathroom facilities will be handicap accessible and inclusive fro all types of families,” she said.

The current playground sits on sand, which will be replaced by either wood chips or rubber flooring to be handicap accessible; inclusive equipment including upgraded swings and “orbital spinners” will be added; with the splash pad and playground to be updated with a farm theme “to highlight our area’s rich agricultural heritage.”

“This will be the only splash pad in Dunn County, so we want to make this a destination play area that will draw families here from up to 45 minutes away,” Petznick said. “We are still figuring out size and design – a lot will depend on how much money we can raise.”

The project’s biggest expense being the purchasing of playground equipment – organizers met with several companies and chose to move forward with playground manufacturer Gerber Leisure Products of Minn.; E3Transport, LLC of Colfax donated their services when time comes to transport the playground equipment – will likely cost about $225,000, Petznick said.

As of Feb. 1, about $75,000 had been fundraised and donated to the Colfax Playground & Splash Pad Project fund, housed by the Community Foundation of Dunn County. The project’s completion date is tentatively slated for September 2027.

Keep up with the playground and splash pad project on its Facebook page • Donate to the fund, housed by the Community Foundation of Dunn County, online