After eight years and three city councils, the City of Portage la Prairie is ready to break land on the new interactive fountain at Simplot Central Park.

Council made the vote to award a tender for the construction of the project at last evening's council meeting - which is made possible thanks to a generous donation from the good people at McCain Foods.

City councillor Melissa Draycott gives us the park details.

"This park is located on 4th Ave and 2nd Ave NW. An RFP was sent out to five proponents who have experience in this type of work, and also posted on the City of Portage la Prairie website. Three proposals were received electronically."

Proposals were rated on a scale of 100 points. 70 points were awarded based on the proposal and 30 points based on price.

"The highest-rated bidder, PlayQuest, submitted a total price of $171,905.90, not including GST. This includes a $35,000 allowance for an art feature, as well as $9,000 for a concrete bench."

The expected dates for the completion of the project has been pushed back by 2 weeks. The tentative start date is July 7th, 2020, with a completion date of August 6th, 2020.

Draycott talks about the company who was awarded the tender.

"PlayQuest has an excellent understanding of the project and has installed many spray parks and splash pads in Manitoba and Western Canada. The proposed design consists of an 11.12-meter circular 2 colour concrete spray area with 20 sprays and 2 activators. This is surrounded by a 2.13-meter spray-free concrete area and a concrete bench."

Draycott says this is all made possible by community support.

"The Parks Committee has been fundraising and has collected $146,327.98 for this project. Also, a $25,000 donation from Simplot has been confirmed, and the funds will be available later in 2020. The Public Art Committee has also confirmed a $25,000 contribution for the public art feature."