Years of preparation, planning and fundraising culminated in Strong City with the grand opening of a splash pad.
Kids and families enjoyed the new water park at the city playground, along with hot dogs, chips, drinks and cookies. Mayor Lydia Simmons says it’s a big addition to the community-built playground, opened to the public in 2016, and it’s big for the city as a whole.
The city partnered with Splash Pads USA for construction and had plans to open up the facility last summer, but drought conditions, including a statewide drought emergency and a countywide water warning, prompted the City Council to delay the opening until this month. Regardless of the timeline, Simmons says the playground and splash pad are all about creating memories.
The splash pad has similar but slightly different features than Emporia’s facility at Peter Pan Park. It is also fenced in large part to keep any roaming animals out of the way.
A long list of donors, large and small, helped to generate funds for the splash pad, which had the overall cost increase to at least $300,000 due to equipment cost increases since COVID-19. Fundraising is ongoing, and interested residents can call the City Clerk’s Office at 620-273-6345 or get information through the City of Strong City Facebook page.
*Click here for a YouTube Short video from Monday’s official opening event.
Meanwhile, Simmons says the city is getting ready to resurface and change the appearance of Cottonwood Street to make it “more like a boulevard” and to create safer access points for people wanting to enjoy the park. Speaking of the park, Simmons says the next project is to add a second shelter pavilion.
