Jul 13, 2023
LE ROY — A temperature around 60 degrees and a spritzing rain were hardly the desired conditions to debut a new spray park, but with warmer days looming Le Roy officials are excited at what lies ahead for the spray park in Wildwood Park off Munson Street Extension.
The 2,000-square-foot attraction, built adjacent to the municipal pool, features a variety of spray apparatus and a large dumping bucket that provides a new place for people to cool off on a hot summer days.
“On a hot, 90-degree day, more than 200 people a day use the pool,” said Town Supervisor James Farnholz.
The supervisor was joined by Village Mayor Greg Rogers, Village Department of Public Works Superintendent Bob Lathan, and Town Highway Superintendent Eric Stauffer on Wednesday morning for a ceremonial first spray.
The $300,000 park, a joint project of the town and village, replaces a smaller wading pool that was non-functioning, leaking and slated for removal.
The new spray park features six streamers of various heights and shapes, an arch, several ground sprayers, known as “deck jets” with a variety of spray effects to remind even the oldest user of running through a sprinkler as a youth; and a bucket that creates a waterfall by dumping a large volume of water each minute that the park is in operation. The deck jets have names such as “Splash-o-lator,” which sends water shooting straight up; “Water Flower,” in which the water appears to blossom out of the jet; and “AquaArch” and “DuetArch,” which send arcing streams from the sprayers.
A waist-high red post with blue top in front of the park features a green hand that is pressed to operate the water, which will run in four-minute cycles.
Initial reactions to the project have “all been very positive and favorable,” said Rogers.
Planning for the park began in 2020. The town and village each contributed $150,000 from their allotment of American Rescue Plan COVID relief funding. Wildwood is a village park, while the town runs the pool.
Crews from the town and village worked to tear out the old pool and prepare the area for installation, which saved on project costs, said Rogers and Farnholz.
Spray park elements came from the Water Odyssey division of Fountain People, a San Marcos, Texas-based company that designs and manufactures interactive water features and aquatic play equipment.
The construction process was slowed by supply chain issues getting the spray park elements. The park was initially expected to be ready last summer, but their were additional delays in getting the water hook-up completed by the Monroe County Water Authority.
The park uses all fresh water, Farnholz said, which is more economical as the project did not require water-recycling equipment to be installed.
The park is expected to open to the public today.
Hours for the spray park will be 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily. Depending on recreation staff availability, the park could be open as late as Labor Day.
The spray park, currently accessed through the municipal pool building, will be open to all and will not require a pool pass to use.
When open, a recreation attendant will staff the spray park and wristbands will help denote those using the spray park and those with a pool membership. The municipal pool does require a pool membership for unlimited use or a fee for each single visit.
The spray park and pool were both closed Wednesday due to the poor air quality that prompted an air quality advisory from the state Department of Environmental Conservation and state Department of Health. The advisory also prompted the cancellation of the day’s recreation program.
Other improvements are underway in Wildwood Park. Buildings are getting new metal roofs, and other areas will be blacktopped to improve handicap accessibility to other areas of the park.
