KALAMAZOO, MI -- The new splash pad at LaCrone Park is ready for summer fun.
Kalamazoo’s newest water feature opens to visitors for the first time at 8 a.m. Saturday, July 2, Parks and Recreation Director Patrick McVerry said.
The splash pad at the city’s LaCrone Park, 535 W Paterson St., will be free to use and open to all members of the community, McVerry said.
There is no age limit to use the splash pad. The city suggests young children have an adult watching over them to be safe, he said.
Park hours are 8 a.m. to sunset each day. The splash pad will be operational from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. initially, he said, with plans to later extend the closing time to 8 p.m.
Water is flowing in the system all the time, but is activated by two actuators at the splash pad, McVerry said. The actuators are on pedestals and users can walk up and press the button to start the system during the hours when the splash pad is open, he said. The water will only run for 10 minutes and then shut off. Users can then hit the actuator again to restart the water features.
The splash pad includes some ground spaying elements that look like animals, features that rotate and allow kids to move the water around, and also a large rotating orange ball that spreads water as the ball rotates.
A shade sail will be installed later this month to provide shaded seating for people to get out of the sun, he said. It was delayed due to supply chain issues and is now expected later this month, when it will be installed. New benches and seating will be installed next week, McVerry said.
The city chose to place the splash pad at La Crone Park, at the southeast corner of Cobb Avenue and West Patterson Street, after a meeting held in October to gather input from residents about two proposed locations. The city had presented Farrell Park as a second option.
The funding for splash pad construction is included in the Parks and Recreation Capital Improvement Program budget, the city said previously.
LaCrone Park was named after former parks superintendent William LaCrone in 1935. The five-acre park includes a playground, tennis court, a trail, basketball courts and picnic areas.
The LaCrone Park splash pad was originally planned for a 2021 opening. Construction was delayed after the city terminated a contract due to non-performance, because of missed deadlines by the contractor, according to the city of Kalamazoo. The city terminated the contract with USA Construction, then-Kzoo Parks Director Sean Fletcher told MLive in June 2021.
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