Noah Johnson Daily Press The site of the former Webster Wading Pool is ready for concrete to be poured before adding the rubberized mat. The water sources are installed, and administration expects the pad to be up in running in roughly two months.

ESCANABA – Escanaba is getting closer to having a new activity for families as crews make progress on the installation of a new splash pad at the former Webster Wading Pool site.

It’s been a long process to start work on the splash pad, as it was brought up in discussions within the Escanaba Recreation Advisory Board back in 2018.

Escanaba Recreation Director Kim Peterson said that when the department initially bid out the project, it did not receive any bids.

Now, the wading pool has been removed and crews are working to get the site ready for the new splash pad.

Peterson shared that the project is roughly two months away from completion, as crews recently installed the necessary water sources.

“The ground is level, the water sources are installed. So they’re looking at pouring the concrete that has to sit for 30 days and then they can do that poured rubberized matting,” Peterson said.

She wasn’t sure when the concrete would be poured, but as soon as it’s dry, workers will install the rubber matting.

“Then they can start installing all the sprayers, so we’re getting there,” she said.

“I’d say month and a half, two months (it will be ready). And we’re still hoping to turn it on a little bit this season to make sure it works okay before we shut it down for next year. So, we’re hoping that we can at least use it for a little bit this season.”

Once complete, the pad will feature ground level sprayers and half-moon sprayers for kids to run underneath.

“The sprayers are all different kinds; one will shoot straight up in the air, one will shoot from the sides, one will shoot all over the place, but they’re all different,” Peterson said.

The sprayers are also motion-censored, so they will only activate when someone is using the pad.

Peterson said she’s excited to see the splash pad finally come to fruition, as it will be a unique activity in the area.

“The splash park is unique to our area because we don’t have one around,” Peterson said.