News Photo by Temi Fadayomi Rotary Club of Alpena member Joanne Gallagher stands in the middle of the splash pad at Starlite Beach in Alpena on Tuesday. The splash park will get an extension over the next two years, thanks to the fundraising of Rotary.

ALPENA — Plans to upgrade and expand the splash park at Starlite Beach in Alpena are moving forward.

Significant changes to the popular attraction could be unveiled next summer and around the summer of 2025.

Rotary Club of Alpena member Joanne Gallagher said new water features will be added to the existing water park, and a separate splash park geared toward toddlers is in the works, too.

Gallagher added that Rotary, city officials, and a distributor are still working on finalizing design plans, which will be shared with the public when completed.

The first part of the project will have new Northeast Michigan-themed elements added to the current splash park. Gallagher said some of the current water features will be swapped out with new ones that reflect and promote Alpena’s heritage.

“The new features are appropriate for who we are and what Alpena is,” she said. “One is a pine tree and another is an anchor. That part of the upgrade should be completed in time for summer next year.”

The new water park — which Gallagher said will be constructed between the current park and the playground — will be about half of the size of the existing park and some of the elements taken from the older park will be utilized in the new one.

She said all the features in the toddler’s park will be low-impact and safe for young children.

“Everything will have a lower flow of water and there won’t be anything that can knock a small child off its feet, like the large bucket at the park now,” Gallagher said.

The push to build the original splash pad was also led by members of Rotary and, after three years of fundraising, it finally opened in 2018. Alpena City Engineer Steve Shultz said over the years, despite heavy use and sometimes harsh winter conditions, the park has aged well. He said the city has maintained the play area well and other than routine repairs for some parts, overall it is in good shape.

“It’s holding up great,” he said. “We’ve had a few small problems here and there, but we’re really happy with it as a whole.”

A good portion of the money for the first splash pad was raised by Rotary and many others donated money and time to help make it a reality. Gallagher said so far, fundraising is going well for the expansion and she commended the community for supporting the effort by attending fundraising events like the popular Brew on the Bay.

“The bottom line is this doesn’t happen without the community behind it. You can’t raise enough money to do something like that without the generosity of the people, she said. “People also support the park by using it, and people come from out of town to enjoy it. People in Alpena love it, talk about it, and brag about it, and if it wasn’t for the donors, taxpayers, and local governments, we wouldn’t be able to do it.”

Shultz said the current splash park may be opened next week with Memorial Day approaching.