“This will be (the center’s) eighth year of operation, and we hoped to do things that would keep the park interesting to the community,” McCaffrey said. “We believe that the addition of the splash park is one of those opportunities.”

Out of the total equipment and installation costs, the East Lansing Rotary Club plans to raise $150,000 for this project through various fundraisers.

This will leave $35,000 to be raised.

“If (the rotary club) can do better than the fundraising goal, then the fundraising effort will take care of the difference,” McCaffrey said. “If not, it will come from the city’s Parks, Recreation & Arts’ operating fund.”

The rotary club has currently raised about $85,000, he said.

There are several ways the money is being raised, including opportunities for individuals or businesses to sponsor a feature of the new splash park, said Pat Boog, chairman for the rotary club’s fundraising committee. So far seven of the 12 features have been sponsored, he said.

In addition, residents can also make donations to the center. For a $1,000 gift, donors can get their name on a plaque, and for a $50 gift, donors will have their names included on a picket outside the center.

“We tried to make it so anyone who donated could get recognition, so many times you give money and you feel good, but you don’t get recognition,” Boog said.

The rotary club will continue raising money through donations and events throughout the summer.

Boog said he expects the splash park to be a success.

“Splash parks are one of the things that really developed in last three or four years as something that there’s a lot of interest in, so I expect it will draw more people in (to the center),” he said.

Some MSU students said they have not been to the aquatic center, but that a splash park sounded interesting.

“It might make it a little more likely that I’d go for the cool stuff,” said history senior Dave Kelner.

Haslett resident Renee Lachniet said she has taken her two children to the aquatic center before, but doesn’t think the addition will make a difference in how much she visits.

She said the price of a day pass — $5 for East Lansing residents and $7 for nonresidents — adds up when both she and her two children visit the center. She said she prefers taking them to beaches, which are free.

“(My son) really wants to go there, so we’ll probably go once to see it,” she said.