After another dry run, the North Royalton splash pad has reopened. An announcement was made that the splash pad reopened on Thursday, June 29, just before the Fourth of July holiday. The splash pad is located at Memorial Park, 14600 State Road.
Last year, the North Royalton City Council unanimously adopted legislation that accepted the bid of Cook Paving and Construction Company to handle the splash pad project, which includes a shade structure. The splash pad is located between the playground, restrooms and pavilion, adjacent to the tennis courts. The splash pad project had been problematic for the city since its inception. It had originally been targeted to open for the Fourth of July in 2022, but, due to manufacturing delays of the splash pad apparatus, the project was delayed to the point that opening was pushed to the spring of this year.
Finally, a ribbon cutting, opening the feature, took place on Saturday, May 27. Less than two weeks later, on June 9, the city announced that the splash pad was temporarily closed.
According to Mayor Larry Antoskiewicz, “There was a leak in the pressurized line. The contractor has been out hunting the leak down. Speculation is that there could have been something in the sealing of the joints.” He pointed out, “The underground system was put in last year.” There also were reports of paint chipping. Antoskiewicz said that “the paint that was painted over the caulking peeled off.” He indicated that the contractor was looking at other types of paint for the caulked areas.
With the re-opening of the splash pad, the City posted that while they were happy for the re-opening, “We apologize for this situation, as the frustration was felt heavily by the City, as we know the community and our children were enjoying this newest amenity. We greatly appreciated your patience and understanding while we worked to overcome this issue.”
In another post, the City reminds residents that “Dogs are not allowed on the splash pad. In fact, they are not allowed near the splash pad, the playground or in the pavilions. Also, vehicles are not allowed on the asphalt path that runs from the parking lot to the upper pavilion. We know it may be tempting to drive a vehicle up there to unload items when reserving a pavilion, but it is a safety issue, more than ever, with an increased number of families enjoying the park and splash pad. And please adhere to the posted splash pad rules when it comes to caring for your young child’s toiletry needs. The shade structure is not a changing station. Both of our restrooms are equipped with changing tables. We do have splash pad attendants on site that will be monitoring these issues. Thank you for your cooperation!”
By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer