BY JOHN ROSS AMIGH Staff Writer
The recent hot weather has kids hollering for outdoor water fun. As public pools become increasingly expensive to maintain, splash pads are increasingly a hit when it comes to cooling off. The amenity of ten has less maintenance costs and increased safety compared to pools, making it a great option for aquatic fun. Moore County is home to three splash pads, operated by the village of Pinehurst, town of Southern Pines and Moore County at its park in Carthage. With school coming to an end and the thermometer rising upward, all three are normal popular summer hangouts and can see a few hundred visitors each day during the summer. Pools are complicated affairs for municipal workers. But what is maintenance like for water jets shooting into the air?
For the Southern Pines splash pad at J. Pleasant Hines Park, upkeep is almost as simple as replacing a home water filter. The key to maintenance for any aquatic area is a tight schedule, Director of Parks and Recreation Greg Thompson said. The most important parts of keeping the splash pad running are ensuring the water quality and chemical levels are correct, and cleaning out the filter. “Any sort of water-based features, you put them on a schedule, and you stick to the schedule,” Thompson said. “So, the problems where you’ll run into issues are if you decide to skip a week on cleaning something, which we don’t do.” Since the splash pad at J. Pleasant Hines Park is next to the pool, it’s an even easier process for performing maintenance. The water used for the splash pad is recirculated between an underground tank, storage room and then back to the splash pad. Workers intermittently test water samples and add chlorine or other agents to correct the pH when need ed. The ease of maintenance works to keep costs down, compared to pools, so splash pads can be significantly cheaper.
Chris Wiley, Moore County’s director of Parks and Recreation, said the county’s splash pad has a seasonal operating cost of about $30,000, whereas a community pool could average $80,000. Simple, low-cost maintenance is not the only advantage splash pads have — they are safer too.
Since standing water is eliminated, the risk of drowning is near zero. That makes splash pads a popular option for parents with young children. “You still have to have oversight, you still have to have staff, but it’s not to the level of a pool where drowning is a real possibility. (It’s) not eliminated at splash pads, but drastically reduced,” Thompson said. Wiley said bumps and bruises are the extent of accidents he’s noticed, thanks to the safety benefits. “You may have a bump or bruise or need a Band-Aid,” Wiley said. “But I’m not aware of any major injuries that we’ve had over the years.” Another way splash pads are set apart is the accessibility they offer. Thompson said some pools may have ramps and chair lifts, but not all of them. “It definitely reduces barriers to patrons who aren’t comfortable in a pool or parents who aren’t comfort able with a pool — you can go to a splash pad,” Thompson said. “So the range of people that you can serve at a splash pad is a little bit greater, just from a safety standpoint.” Most splash pads are also designed with a non-slip material. It doesn’t prevent falls on the wet surface entirely, but it can act as a cushion if falls do happen. Wiley said when the Moore County splash pad first opened, the surface was slippery. Since adding texture to the surface, risk for slippage lowered dramatically. At J. Pleasant Hines Park, the pool also helps make the splash pad free to the public since operational costs and needed staff already exist. “The overall goal for Parks and Recreation is to provide amenities, services and recreation at those sorts of levels that anybody can at tend,” Thompson said. “For us, making the splash pad free and available to all, it just made sense.” Thompson also talked about how the splash pad fits into his idea of “passive recreation,” activities that give people the freedom to create their own experience. “It’s recreation at your pace. You want to go to the pool and swim laps, great. You wanna go and sit in the kiddie pool with your feet only? That’s also on our street. You wanna go lie down in the splash pad? Also fine,” Thompson said. “So, we provide the options and let people cater their experience to themselves.” At the Moore County Sports Complex, the range of amenities al lows for just that. “We have T-ball and coach pitch games on Saturdays. So after the game, a lot of the people come over then too,” Wiley said. “Siblings may not want to come watch their broth er or sister play coach pitch or T-ball if they’re younger – but they know they get to go to the splash pad afterward.” The Southern Pines splash pad opened Saturday, May 23, and runs through Labor Day, at J. Pleasant Hines Park, 730 S. Henley St. The Pinehurst splash pad opened last week at Rassie Wicker Park, 10 Rassie Wicker Drive, and is open from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m daily. In Carthage, the splash pad is now open at the Moore County Sports Complex, 155 Hillcrest Park Lane. Visit daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Contact John Ross Amigh at jramigh@ncsu.edu.
Top, the Moore County Sports Complex splash pad was buzzing Thursday afternoon with kids
taking the opportunity to cool off; above, from left, a youngster runs through water spouts at the
splash pad in Rassie Wicker Park; children enjoy the enjoy the J. Pleasant Hines Park splash pad.