More communities prefer splash pads to pools

By Charles Sercombe

So, just what is a splash pad?

More and more cities are installing them as an alternative to public pools. Some come in elaborate designs and offer a variety of fun water equipment to play with.

Just what Hamtramck’s splash pad will feature is not immediately known. The public school’s recreation director, Craig Daniels, who organized the installation, refused to answer a single question from The Review about the splash pad and he hung up the phone on a reporter.

The pad, though, appears to be a slab of concrete about 600 square feet, but again, because Daniels refuses to answer questions about the pad, the size is just an estimate. It also appears to have several nozzles built in that will shoot up sprays of water. The water is combination of recycled treated water and fresh water.

Because the water is recycled, it must be treated like pool water. If the water is left untreated – or not treated properly — there is a danger that people can be infected with bacteria. This is why the state’s Department of Environmental Quality regulates these types of splash pads.

Municipalities are increasingly moving toward providing splash pads because there is no chance of anyone drowning while using it.

Hamtramck’s splash pad cost $115,853, according to a report put together by Daniels and submitted to the School Board last January. Daniels told school officials the splash pad will open in June.