Wetumpka Splash Pad dedicated to community icon

Percy Gill never passed up a chance to shake a hand or talk with someone.

Family and friends said he was always networking. If the presence at the dedication of the Wetumpka Splash Pad was any indication of Gill’s network of friends and brothers, Gill is legendary.

Gill was only elected to serve as a councilmember but the dedication was an indication his influence went well beyond Wetumpka. Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed met Gill when he moved back to the area. Quickly through meetings with Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. a friendship blossomed.

“I was inspired by his willingness to do the grunt work,” Reed said. “He was willing to do it in a campaign, in an organization and the community when the limelight wasn’t there.”

Reed and Alabama State University president Dr. Quinton Ross said Gill’s work helped them reach the positions they are in today.

“Percy could have been anywhere in the world, but he wanted to come home,” Ross said. “He wanted to come home to this community and invest in it. That is what he did. He was all about uniting the community and providing for young people. He was on that mission everyday.”

Wetumpka resident Jordan Fogal said Gill would sit with her husband and play with her dog. 

“He was a special person,” Fogal said. “He was a great city councilman. He had me on the Wetumpka Pride board for eight years. He was a special person. He probably would have been mayor one day, maybe senator. He was that bright.”

Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis said he always wanted to be around Gill because he was highly knowledgeable in almost everything.

“I made sure I got a seat close to Percy,” Willis said. “It was because I knew he was smart. I knew he knew what he was doing. I learned a lot from him.”

Gill served on the Wetumpka City Council representing District 2. It is a position Cynthia Tucker currently holds. She said Gill is the reason she is there and considered him a good friend.

“Percy had been after me for years to run,” Tucker said. “After my mother passed, Percy came and said ‘I know now is not the time, but we need to talk.’ I didn’t know six months later he would be gone.”

Gill died following a stroke in March 2019. Tucker said she prayed about running for the council.

“I’m glad I heeded Percy’s call,” Tucker said.

The idea of the splash pad can fully be credited to Gill. Winfred Wise said during discussions about renovating the teacher’s home as part of the Elmore County Black History Museum Gill made his pitch. Shortly after the idea was presented to the Wetumpka City Council.

Willis said Gill and Ron Dickerson took it upon themselves to make sure the design for the splash pad met the requirements for Wetumpka.

“[They traveled to] communities all across Alabama looking at splash pads trying to figure out what Wetumpka needed to best serve the entire community,” Willis said. “That got the wheels turning for this.”

The splash pad is small and takes up a small part of the 175 acre complex that houses the Elmore County Black History Museum and the Wetumpka Sports Complex. Willis said nearly $35 million has been spent and more is on the way when funding becomes available.

Reed said through the years in the fraternity and political trail Gill shared his passion for Wetumpka and making it a better place.

“The Splash Pad matches Percy’s personality being about young people and the next generation,” Reed said. “It unites. Kids and young people don’t see some things that divide us. They see the fun and best of one another.”

The splash pad opened over the summer. Willis said the city is trying to determine the best way to manage it for everyone’s enjoyment. But all agreed those who used it enjoyed it and the time with one another. Tucker said everyone had a great time.

“When it opened this summer you saw all walks of life out here,” Tucker said. “It was Black, white, brown, whatever. Everyone was here. The kids were having a good time, the adults as well. Everyone interacted well. We didn’t have an issue, no problem. Everyone came up and had fun. It was a coming together.”

The investment may have been smaller than some of the other projects the city has done, but Tucker believes the splash pad has more meaning to the entire community. Dedicating the splash pad to Gill whose idea it was in the first place is just icing on the cake.

“It means a lot,” Tucker said. “Percy was all about the community and all about the kids. It means so much that we were able to dedicate this splash pad in his memory. Words can not explain it.”