Smiles spread across the faces of about a dozen children as they played in the water of the Savage Park splash pad for the first time since the summer of 2023.
The splash pad, which failed a health department inspection last spring , had been out of operation for the start of the 2024 season; Tuesday at noon it finally reopened.
The city reported it had made “all of the necessary valve adjustments to the water system,” and the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department on Tuesday morning OK’d the opening.
“It’s a great relief to see that the children in this community now can have a splash pad to go to, that’s workable, and they can cool off during the hot summer months,” said Earl Mack, a longtime resident of the neighborhood.
Mr. Mack recalls playing at Savage Park as a child. He was frustrated as he followed the news of the splash pad’s noncompliance with health codes.
“This should not have happened this way. This should have been something that they dealt with immediately,” Mr. Mack said. “In my opinion, they really didn’t get involved until the media started reporting about the splash pad.”
For Roshawn Jones, a community member and the owner of Soul City Boxing, having the splash pad up and running is great news.
Soul City Boxing runs a summer program for local youth, and Mr. Jones usually takes the children to Savage Park for lunch and a cool-down break at the splash pad. Now that the city has adjusted the water pressure to comply with Makenna’s Law, Mr. Jones can once again resume his routine.
“It feels great,” he said. “The people came together and got it done. Of course it was kind of late but better late than never.”
Rhylee Jones, 9, was one of many children present that was happy to have the splash pad back. She slipped off her Crocs and ran toward the water.
It took a “really long time” for the city to turn on the splash pad, Rhylee said. She was “excited” to have a place in the neighborhood to cool off.
Ezekiel Mcswine, 13, and Thalyn Cargill, 13, spoke about the difficulty of not having a splash pad for the past month.
Ezekiel explained that people had to drive to the pool or Promenade Park just to escape the heat. When he found out the splash pad was operational, he felt relief.
“It’s about time,” he said. “People that live around this area have been hot as ever. Now that this is open, they can enjoy fun over here.”
Thalyn said local children had to spend more time at home, rather than outside over the past month, because of the splash pad being closed. She is glad it is ready to serve the community.
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