View Full Version : Spraygrounds to open May 26th



Keith
05-24-2007, 08:25 PM
City Splashes into Summer with New Spraygrounds
Nine Interactive Water Play Parks to Open May 26


Just in time for Memorial Weekend, the City’s Parks and Recreation Department is splashing into summer at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 26 with the opening of nine new interactive spraygrounds across the metro. The spraygrounds feature colorful graphics and a variety of individual water features, including dump buckets, rainbow “showers,” geysers, and always popular water cannons.

The spraygrounds will be open 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. every day through Labor Day and are free to the public.

“This is the culmination of many years planning,” said Wendel Whisenhunt, Director of the Parks and Recreation Department, “and we are very pleased to be able to offer these new recreational opportunities to the children of the community.”

Each sprayground features a colorful splash pad with custom-painted graphics and a variety of water toys. The water toys are controlled via a programmable control box that pre-sets the length of time each water feature will spray. In addition, the sprayground sites also have shade, picnic and seating areas.

“It’s the perfect way to cool down in the Oklahoma heat,” said Whisenhunt. “Even those who are not near a pool will be able to enjoy the interactive fun these spraygrounds can provide. It’s a great activity for the entire family.”

Unlike the City’s pools, the sprayground areas are not supervised. Visitors are asked to follow all park rules when playing in the spraygrounds, and for safety purposes, footwear is strongly recommended.

The City installed its first sprayground in the summer of 2006 at Lippert Park, 5550 South Shartel. It was a hit with the surrounding neighborhood.

The new spraygrounds are located at:
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Douglass Park, 901 Frederick Douglass Blvd <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">E.B. Jeffrey Park, 4432 NW 16 <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Macklanburg Park, 11700 N Stratford Drive <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">McKinley Park, 1300 N McKinley <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Melrose Park, NW 5th and Council <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Memorial Park, 3600 N Classen <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Sellers Park, 8301 S Villa <LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: justify">Wiley Post Park, SW 17 and Robinson
Youngs Park, SW 44 and Youngs Blvd.
Funding for the spraygrounds came from the 2005 Capital Improvement Fund. Five new spraygrounds, funded through the 2006 Capital Improvement Fund, are planned for Summer 2008.

The opening of the spraygrounds officially kicks off the start of the Parks Department’s annual summer pool season. The Will Rogers and Earlywine Family Aquatic Centers will also open on Saturday at noon.

For more information about the spraygrounds, pools or the Parks and Recreation Department, call 297-2211.