Some Manchester residents have had make do with a stink from the local landfill for a couple of years, but they're finally getting some consolation.
“It’s just like dog poop or something,” said 9-year-old Nicole.
“Yuck,” said her twin brother Matthew.
Even third-graders can articulate the foul-smell that had been coming from the Manchester Landfill.
“The people who live close in, obviously it was very uncomfortable. I mean it really smelled,” said Manchester General Manager Scott Shanley.
Thankfully, people living near it say the stench has simmered down after the town built a better system to burn off the repugnant gasses.
Now, the town is thanking the people who dealt with the pungent odor with the splash pad.
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It will be built right near the Verplank School, which is currently under renovation.
“So it’s directly related to the people who have to deal with the truck traffic, have to deal with the smell, get a small benefit from that,” said Shanley.
The 3,000-square foot project’s priced at $450,000, which includes an irrigation system to reuse the water.
“But I think this is really important. This is not tax dollars. This leftover money from the revenue that we get from the commercial tipping fees at the landfill,” said Shanley.
While there are always some who make a stink about the price, Shanley hopes to make most people happy.
“There are a lot of children that live within a mile of that location and it’s a neighborhood amenity that they currently don’t have.”
Lifelong resident Barbara Cassel can see the school’s current construction from her home.
“All the kids in the neighborhood, that’ll be awesome for them because families are growing and houses are selling," she said.
Over 300 kids live in nearby Squire Village.
“It’s always so hot and I live like three blocks down, so I can just ride my bike here and come in it all the time,” Matthew said.
The town will soon be taking input from locals for what they hope to see at the splash pad.
They hope to have it complete by the start of the school year, ready for use next summer.
