The long-awaited splash pad at Cline Park in Waleska will open on Friday and city leaders will conduct a ribbon cutting at 4 p.m. The park is located at 704 Bartow St. in Waleska.
Cherokee Recreation and Parks Agency Director Bryan Reynolds said the splash pad will be roughly 60 feet by 40 feet.
The project cost about $150,000, which included equipment installation.
The splash pad, which is the first one of its kind built with taxpayer dollars, has been years in the making.
Reynolds said the project hit a few stumbling blocks, one of which came during the height of the drought, when he said there were concerns they would be able to open an outdoor pool.
Another slight delay came when the Cherokee County Environmental Health Department had to determine which guidelines to use in order to regulate the splash pad, said County Commissioner Harry Johnston.
Johnston, who represents Waleska on the commission, said he’s delighted about the pad’s completion.
“I think the folks up in the Waleska area are going to really enjoy it,” he said. “It’s a unique feature that Waleska needs. It’ll be good for the city and the whole northwest corner of the county.”
Reynolds, who said the pad’s opening is good news, said the city could hang its hat on being home to the county’s first splash pad.
For Waleska Mayor Doris Jones, news of the splash pad’s opening is the “most wonderful thing.” Jones said the splash pad’s status has been on the minds of many residents of Waleska and nearby communities.
“I think it will bring more families and, of course, more young children to our area,” she said. “It will be really good for the community.”
Former Waleska Mayor Marguerite Cline, who had long pushed for the splash pad’s completion, also said she’s excited to see a new recreational feature added to the city’s amenities.
Along with bring families to the community, Cline said the feature will give the city’s less fortunate another place to enjoy themselves closer to home.
“I am very, very thankful excited and appreciative to the commissioners in going ahead and pushing it through,” she said. “I look forward to seeing Waleska’s kids on the hottest days of the year cooling off in it.”
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