A new splash pad and activity hub are planned on the south side of Gulley Park / City of Fayetteville

A three-year-old plan to add a splash pad in east Fayetteville is finally coming together.

Fayetteville parks officials said construction on the city’s second splash pad is scheduled to begin in 2020 at Gulley Park with an expected opening date sometime in 2021.

The splash pad is part of a series of improvements planned at Gulley Park next year that also includes a new activity area and additional parking.

The new features will be located by the current playground area at the south end of the park. Parking will nearly double at the nearby lot when the number of spaces is increased from 31 to 60.

Funding for the work will come in part from the bond issue that voters approved in April. The $226 million program includes over $26 million for park improvements.

The city will use $250,000 in bond money for the project, while another $220,000 will come from the state department’s Outdoor Recreation Grants Program, which offers municipal or county governments funds to put toward projects that create opportunities for outdoor recreation. The total cost of the project is expected to be about $993,000.

Gulley Park is the second most visited park in Fayetteville behind Wilson Park, according to staff documents.

The city in 2016 began work on a master plan for the park that included possible additions like a splash pad, a renovated pond area, a new pavilion and restroom facility, an expanded north parking lot, and a dog park.

The city’s first splash pad opened in May at Walker Park in south Fayetteville. The splash pad will close for the season at 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, and will reopen on May 9, 2020.

Gulley Park Master Plan