Beat the heat: Laurel Splash Park finally to open after years of work

Splashing into summer in Laurel used to mean jumping into the city pool, but now residents get to beat the heat at the new splash park that will be officially opening in the next few weeks.

The city pool closed four years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic and never reopened.

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“Staffing. The age of the pool, this pool I believe was from the fifties,” the City of Laurel Public Works Director Matt Wheeler said on Monday.

In the last year, the pool area has been transformed, filled in, and made into a free splash park.

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The original plan was to open last summer, but Ryan Welsh, the project engineer with KLJ Engineering in Laurel, said they ran into delays because they couldn't find a contractor.

Now, everything is complete and residents will soon be able to enjoy the splash park.

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“The final thing that we have to do is we have a couple of safety signs that we have to install,” Welsh said. “We’re expecting a big turnout when we do our grand opening of it here in about a week or so.”

Both Welsh and Wheeler expressed their gratitude for the volunteers who worked endlessly to raise the funds for the splash park to be completed.

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“The total project pushed $300,000,” Wheeler said. “We’ve had a lot of positive comments coming through city hall.”

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The Billie Riddle Splash Park is free to enter, anyone can start the water with the push of a button seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and has different sections for all ages.

“So, it’ll serve your teenagers, as well as your toddlers,” Welsh said. “It’s basically just run off of city water right now. There’s no need to have someone manning the building because the building will be closed down. So, there isn’t going to be any lifeguards on duty or any employees that will be here full time.”