A splash pad attraction in Governor Printz Park in Tinicum, which would have been a welcome relief for kids from the oppressive heat this week, has, unfortunately, been permanently closed since March 2020, writes Chris O’Connell for Fox 29.
The attraction was built in 2019 at a cost of $100,000 and operated for a year, but closed in March 2020 when COVID struck.
Now its features have been removed, and piping covered over, leaving just a concrete slab.
With temperatures soaring up to 100 degrees, the closed attraction has been noticed.
“Turn on the splash pad now or tear it down,” wrote one poster on Facebook.
Maqui Rideout of Southwest Philadelphia remembered the splash pad when it first opened so he brought his kids to the Governor Printz Park on Monday night to cool off and was surprised to see it empty and dry.
“Hot days like this, kids need somewhere to go,” Rideout said.
Township manager David Schreiber said the closure resulted from the constant maintenance required for the splash pad, along with higher-than-expected water bills, vandalism, and the reluctance of daycare and summer camp groups to obtain insurance certificates to use the attraction.
See other reactions to the closed splash pad in Tinicum on Fox 29.
