ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – After more than four decades of public use, an Escanaba resource is getting a new purpose.
Since 2018, the City Recreation Department has been working to develop and build a splash park at the site of the former Webster Wading Pool. Located on North 18th Street, the pool had been in a state of disrepair for several years.
“As the years went by, [the pool] got dilapidated,” explained Escanaba Recreation Director Kim Peterson. “It was a maintenance nightmare, I call it. We took that out in anticipation for the splash park during COVID. Everything went up in price, so we were trying to get all of those elements lined up and that splash park constructed.”
Now, the highly anticipated project is in its final stages, with pipe installation almost finished. Crews will also place signage, picnic tables, benches, and a small playground around the splash park, breathing new life into the location.
“When you take out the Webster Wading Pool and add the amenity of the splash park, [it’s the] perfect location,” Peterson said. “Everyone’s used to water being there, and it is obviously away from the water in the south side of Escanaba, so now we’ll have the splash park on the north side of Escanaba.”
The Recreation Department will announce a soft opening for the splash park in mid- to late-June.
