A depiction of the plan for a spray pad in Dunkirk’s Washington Park.

A spray pad for Washington Park is among the things city of Dunkirk planners have proposed for reuse of Community Block Development (CDBG) funding.

Dunkirk gets funding for various items from the federal CDBG program every year, but occasionally some gets unspent, because it’s not needed or the project falls through. If Dunkirk doesn’t reassign the money, the city loses it.

Nicole Clift, the city’s CDBG program coordinator, told the Common Council’s Economic Development Committee on Monday she has no intention of letting that happen. “We did some reprogramming to catch us up,” she said.

The Washington Park spray pad would go in the middle of the circle, where a large pine tree stands. Many decades ago, a fountain featuring a statue of King Neptune stood there. The statue is now on display at SUNY Fredonia — and the fountain’s base is still there, under the tree.

The plan is to remove the tree, unearth the base and reuse it for the spray pad. A new water line, which would also resupply a broken drinking fountain, would be run from Washington Avenue to the pad.

The pad itself would contain nozzles that spray water at the touch of a button. The pad would be shut off from dusk to dawn.

“We know a lot of dog walkers walk through there” and would appreciate the water, Clift said. She added that there is currently no access to “water fun” in that part of the city.

“It’s not a destination where people will be coming up with car loads of kids,” she said.

The Department of Public Works would do the job next spring.

As for King Neptune, “It’s never going back.” Clift said about half the people she talks to would like the statue back in Washington Park, but the other half prefer it remain on display indoors at SUNY Fredonia.

Other plans for CDBG money reuse include adding a walkway to Wright Park through an unused portion of Pine Street. More lighting would also get added to the park’s paths.

The Chautauqua Home Improvement and Rehabilitation Corp. would also get $70,000 to help acquire, rehabilitate, and sell a home in the city.

Finally, a sidewalk from the Senior Center to the nearby Farmers Market is proposed.

The Dunkirk Common Council must approve the plans for reuse of the CDBG money.