The South Side of Americus Park was active Saturday morning and afternoon as Project Playscape unveiled the newest community amenity following several years of work and fundraising.
The organization held the grand opening of its new splash pad in the park, welcoming hundreds of residents to the festivities. Construction on the Splash Pad began back in April, with initial planning dating back to 2022. According to Britney Hinrichs of Project Playscape, the need for the splash pad dates back to about 2012 when the community pool was decommissioned.
Hinrichs says the pool’s closure was a tremendous loss for the community and one that set in motion a chain of events that led to Saturday’s activities.
The opening of the splash pad comes just a few years after the ribbon cutting of the community’s new baseball fields, which were opened to the public back in the summer of 2022. Jana Smart of Project Playscape says these recent projects are both helping to modernize the community while also providing a space for the community to gather and create lifelong memories together, much like she and her family did at the pool before it closed down.
Splash pad hours will be 9 am to 9 pm Monday through Sunday for June, with city council members set to meet and discuss further plans. For more information, be sure to find Project Playscape on Facebook.
