The installation features an assortment of ground-mounted sprayers, flush with the round blue floor “pad” — a textured rubber material, intended to be both water- and slip-resistant.

Now available for the public to visit between noon and 7 p.m. every day of the summer, the splash pad is designed to be a place for small children — approximately ten years old and younger — to beat the heat. Adult supervision is required, and children in diapers must wear swim diapers.

Located on Escanaba’s North 19th Street between 13th and 14th Avenues, the site is directly behind Webster Kindergarten Center and had previously housed the Webster Wading Pool for over 40 years. According to lore from past Escanaba Northtown residents, kids used to hold go-cart races in the empty pool in the off-season.

By 2018, mechanical issues forced intermittent closures of the aging pool, and the city considered alternative uses for the space.

The sprinklers at the new splash pad are activated by tapping the white top of the blue post nearby. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)

In 2020, the City of Escanaba officially obtained the property after leasing it for years. In 2021, then-City Manager Patrick Jordan stated that turning the wading pool into a splash park was one of his goals for the near future.

In 2022, one grant the city applied for required the project to be completed by 2024. But a handful of setbacks kept pushing the completion date into the future. Finally, in the spring of 2025, construction began. Upon removing the old wading pool, workers and city staff were surprised to find that the remnants of a previous swimming pool were buried underneath.

Work came very close to being finished last year. Water service was installed and concrete poured. But although some finishing touches are still to be tied off, water has finally started flowing, and splashing may commence.

This week, the Escanaba Recreation Department announced that the splash pad was ready to enter its “soft opening.” Benches and some other features remain to be installed, but the splash pad itself is as ready as it’s going to be.

The area is activated at a blue post on the side of the pad nearest the school. The word “START” and an arrow indicate a white cap at the top of the post; by touching it, people turn on the sprinklers. There are three cycles, each lasting 60 seconds. After three minutes, the water stops, and the cap on the post may be touched again to re-start the cycle.

Benches and other amenities will soon be installed at the site of the splash park on Escanaba's North 19th Street. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)

Visitors to the area are asked to leave at the first sign of thunder or lightning.

After other amenities are delivered and installed, the City will likely hold a larger opening with ribbon-cutting to formally thank those who supported the project and present the final product to the people.

Sponsors of the splash pad include the Community Foundation for Delta County and its Youth Advisory Committee, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund, Escanaba Rotary Club, Hannahville Indian Community, the family of Olivia DeGrand, Delta-Schoolcraft Great Start Family Coalition and the Kobasic Foundation.

Located directly to the north of Webster Kindergarten Center, a new splash pad has replaced the old wading pool. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)

The City of Escanaba Recreation Department has announced a soft opening of the new splash park, located at the site of the former Webster Wading Pool. (Annotated map)