Tupelo splash pads reopen after being shuddered since mid-summer

CALEB MCCLUSKEY, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo
·1 min read

TUPELO — With temperatures rising and summer on the horizon, Tupelo officials opened two of their three splash pads for the weekends to offer relief and fun to the All-America City.

All but one of Tupelo's popular water attractions will be open for the public on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. until Memorial Day weekend. The pads will remain open all week with the same time schedules starting May 27, which is Memorial Day.

The splash pads at Rob Leake City Park in the Joyner neighborhood are still closed.

Tupelo Parks and Recreations Director Alex Farned said the splash pads in Joyner will remain closed for upgrades following an incident with a child slipping and getting hurt last season. He said it should be open as soon as the epoxy dries on the new flooring.

Meanwhile, he noted the splash pads will be open during the weekdays sporadically to accommodate school trips.

On Monday, a group from students from Shannon Primary spent their afternoon at the splash pads in Veterans Memorial Park.

Farned said when the splash pads are open for schools, they will not be open to the public.

The city has three splash pads within city parks, including at Rob Leake City Park, Theron Nichols Park and Veterans Memorial Park.

While the splash pads will be open full-time after Memorial Day weekend, The C.C. Augustus Swimming pool will open on June 1, Farned said.

Last July, two of the three splash pads closed for the season for repairs after the control panel at Rob Leake City Park was destroyed by lighting and the Veterans Memorial Park control panel failed because of age. Those repairs have since been completed.