The town of Niverville held a grand opening for the Niverville Community Splash Pad on Tuesday, July 12, in Hespeler Park. The day, hotly anticipated, arrived with high winds and a thunderstorm in the forecast—though that didn’t keep away the crowd of 200.
Provencher MP Ted Falk and Morris MLA Shannon Martin joined Niverville mayor Myron Dyck and fellow council members for the ribbon-cutting and a series of speeches.
Many children oohed and ahhed when they saw the giant three-foot scissors being pulled out of its case and handed to the mayor of Niverville. Within minutes of the ribbon-cutting, children flooded the splash pad, water spraying everywhere.
The 3,500-square-foot splash pad has been designed to awaken the imagination, encourage play, and provide a safe and comfortable area for parents and caregivers to bring their children. It has two play areas, one intended for toddlers (up to age three) and another family area for those ages three to 12.
The pad has many brightly coloured water features. So far, the most popular seem to be the colourful hoops in the toddler section and the yellow sky-brella in the family section. Other features included in the toddler section is the spinny squirt, and various in-ground jets and sprayers. The family area includes a blue whale (four hoops and a whale tail), two water cannons, a Mix n’ Match (with a Sneaky Soaker, Sunny Flower, and variety of spouts), and further in-ground jets and sprayers.
South of the pad is a large maintenance building which includes new washrooms and change rooms. A canteen is also onsite to provide park users with healthy snacks throughout the days and evenings.
The Town of Niverville would like to thank the Western Economic Diversification Canada for the Canada 150 Funding. This funding was announced a year ago by Ted Falk and was used to cover a portion of building costs towards the washroom/change room and canteen building. The Town of Niverville would also like to thank local builder Heritage Lane Builders not only their construction of the washroom/change room and canteen building, but also for their monetary contribution.
“The Niverville splash pad and facility upgrades at Hespeler Park are the result of people working together to benefit the community,” said the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification. “Recreational facilities, like this one, create an inclusive environment for play and childhood development and encourage community connections.”
The splash pad itself was completely funded by the Town of Niverville as part of its ongoing mandate to build and improve recreation facilities for the benefit of all residents, young and old alike.
The splash pad’s hours are currently 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. If anyone notices damages or lack of water pressure, they are encouraged to contact the town office at 204-388-4600 (extension 111).
