Ammon splash pad closes for long-term repairs - East Idaho News
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Ammon splash pad closes for long-term repairs

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AMMON — A local splash pad is closed for major repairs for an extended period of time.

The Ammon splash pad is in McCowin Park by the swimming pool. It is a popular recreational spot and free to the community.

“It’s one of those features that it doesn’t matter what age you are, or what age your kids are, they are going to love the splash pad. It is one of our most important recreation features in the city of Ammon,” said Micah Austin, the city administrator.

Austin said city workers went to test out the splash pad in April and found there were numerous problems with it. They tested the pressure in the lines and noticed something was not working right.

“We pulled the decking up, which we were going to do anyway, and when we did that, we saw that the holding tanks and the pressure tanks that basically run the splash pad had collapsed, and they had collapsed in on themselves,” Austin said. “We don’t know when. It could have been last year. But we didn’t know that this had happened because we hadn’t pulled up the decking prior to this point.”

As more of the decking was pulled back, Austin said they noticed that some of the main supply lines that were going to the splash pad were also damaged. The lines were cracked and leaking, which explained some of the pressure issues.

“At that point, the Parks and Recreation Department involved the mayor and myself, and they asked us very simply:, ‘How do you want to repair this? Do you want to repair it enough to get it running for the season knowing that these are some major deficiencies and we will probably (need) to fix the splash pad through the season, or do we want to try to repair it once and for all and get it done right?'” Austin said.

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He said the decision was made to repair it once and for all. The tanks will be replaced, and so will the lines. There will additionally be a little bit of a redesign so that the city can prevent these types of issues with the splash pad in the future.

“For the last two to three years, actually really for the last five years — with the splash pad being in place — it has had repairs throughout the season. It would be running for a week, then be down for a week, running for a week, then down for a week … and the last two seasons have really been the worst,” he said.

The money for the repairs will come from the city’s reserve fund. It’s not yet known how much the repairs will cost.

When the city announced the closure on Facebook, people expressed that they were sad about the splash pad but glad the city was working to repair it and was providing updates.

One commenter said, “I was looking forward to this since it was a long winter with the kids…we will be patient…” and another said, “City of Ammon – thank you for the information and we look forward to when it’s up and running!!”

But the big question is, will the splash pad be open this season?

The answer is unknown.

“We don’t have the supplies in right now, and we are not able to schedule the work. We are going to try to do the work, as much work as possible, within the city of Ammon,” Austin said. “We just don’t know when we can get the repairs done.”

Austin says the city likes to have a a big celebration when school gets out for the summer with an event called “Summer Kickoff Party.” It’s on June 3 from noon to 4 p.m. The city invites the community out to McCowin Park to come swim in the pool and enjoy the splash pad.

Since the splash pad is down for long term repairs, Austin said there will be other fun activities planned, and he encourages everyone to come out.

There will be free swimming, fire department spray downs, a water slide, giant slip and slides, along with vendors, food, music and prizes.

event information for summer
Event information. | Courtesy city of Ammon

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