EDMONDS — Just in time for the season’s hottest days: 5,000-square-feet of water spray to help kids and adults stay cool.
In addition to arching plumes of water, the new Edmonds spray pad includes two water cannons and a super soaker green bucket “that fills up and dumps every three to four minutes,” said Carrie Hite, the city’s parks, recreation and cultural services director.
The spray pad opened May 26. “It’s new and people are excited about it,” she said. By noon on sunny days, as many as 100 people are using it.
The spray pad is at Edmonds City Park, 600 Third Ave. S. It’s open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily through Labor Day. “If it’s a really hot September, my intention is to keep it open, but we’re not guaranteeing it,” Hite said.
The city first began considering a spray pad in 1992, when it closed its wading pool. The project wasn’t included in plans for city parks until the early 2000s. “It was a matter of where we could get grant money,” Hite said.
The project was expanded to include replacement of the nearby playground and was given the title City Park Spray and Play, with $170,000 for new slides, climbing areas and swings.
Combined, the two projects, costing $1.5 million, were paid for with: $500,000 from the state’s Recreation and Conservation Office, $270,000 from the Hazel Miller Foundation in Edmonds, $80,000 from Snohomish County, and $650,000 from the city.
Hite said she’s been getting emails from people since it opened thanking the city for the project. “I had a mom come up to me saying it’s great to have something for kids to do in town,” she said.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.
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