|
||
 SMITHFIELD'S SPLASH PAD OPEN ALL DAY EVERY DAY  From 9 a.m. till 8 p.m.
seven days a week, the spraying devices can be activated
for 10 minutes at a time by waving one's hand in front
of a sensor.The $125,000 Splash Pad --- including a "shade structure," fencing, and a paved parking lot --- was constructed at the site of Smithfield's abandoned municipal swimming pool --- a location on Martin Luther King Drive named Eva E. Ennis Park at the request of the Roger Smith family she served as a domestic worker in the early 20th Century. (Smith descendants donated the property to the town for the swimming pool's construction in the late 1970s.) Carolyn Ennis (pictured right) talked about her mother-in-law at Thursday's Splash Park dedication, telling the children present to take pride in whatever work they do in life, just as Eva Ennis did in serving the Smiths. The Splash Pad will operate without supervision, its spraying devices turned on whenever anyone wants to get wet. Each activation is good for 10 minutes, and timers will restrict the pad's use to daylight hours through the summer months. Water released by the various devices drains into a pipe that carries it to a nearby open ditch. An added feature to recirculate the water would have cost another $75,000, Parks and Recreation Director Gary Johnson told the Town Council when it awarded the installation contract last year. He said at the time that the Splash Pad will use an estimated 4-million gallons of water annually at a cost of about $9,000. Built by Carolina Recreation and Design of Mooresville, the pad is designed for a doubling in size if the town decides to enlarge it.  Mayor Andy Moore (left) and Councilman Marlon Lee hold the ceremonial ribbon for Carolyn Ennis to cut, officially opening the Splash Pad. Observing (right) is Parks and Recreation Director Gary Johnson. VIEW a short video of children in action at the Splash Pad's opening last week> |
||
