Dripping wet and sporting blue-patterned swim trunks, Jacob Vincent approached his mom for a big, damp hug.
Brittany Vincent brushed her 9-year-old son away with a laugh but she can likely expect similar interactions for the rest of the summer with the opening of a new splash pad at Chesterton Park, where Vincent brought Jacob and his two younger sisters Wednesday.
Minutes after town officials officially opened the new splash pad and turned the water on, Vincent, who also had daughters Aleena, 5, and Bethany, 3, in tow, said she loved the new feature.
“It’s away from all the electronics and it’s in a good spot for the community,” she said of the splash pad’s location, adjacent to Chesterton Middle School and other park amenities, like playground equipment and a ball field, but in an otherwise residential area. “I love that it’s close to home and they’re having a blast.”
The splash pad, Chesterton officials said, was one of several improvements being made at parks across the community thanks to a recent bond issue. Chesterton follows Valparaiso and Portage in adding a water feature to one of its parks, something officials said would be an attraction for families as well as youth programs, including the Boys and Girls Clubs’ unit in Chesterton.
The $380,000 splash pad was paid for out of a $2 million bond for park improvements passed by city officials in late 2015, said park superintendent Bruce Mathias. Other projects include new playground equipment at Chesterton Park and new equipment and restrooms at Dogwood Park, as well as additional upgrades at other town parks.
While officials had been mulling the splash pad for a few years, they had to wait until a 10-year bond issue expired and they could renew it, Mathias said.
“We have to plan, so that’s how we did it,” he said, adding he ran the splash pad’s water a couple of times to test it first. “It’s a good size. It should accommodate our town with no problem.”
Officials hope to parlay the new splash pad into an expansion of summer park programs, said park board president Mark Dickinson, adding the goal is to get kids away from electronics. “That’s what we’re losing them to,” he said.
The splash pad, said Town Council President James Ton, R-1st, was “a long time coming but worth it.”
“There just are not enough opportunities for kids to stay in town and recreate. This is a great step in that direction,” he said.
Kids participating in the Boys and Girls Clubs’ summer program, already use the Chesterton parks a couple days a week and the splash pad will only enhance that, said Ron Ranta, director of the Chesterton club.
“This is a great opportunity for the community as well as the Boys and Girls Clubs kids,” he said, adding the splash pad adds to the playground equipment and other amenities already at the park. “This is a state of the art facility and we really appreciate it.”
Jacob Vincent said he thought the splash pad was cool, and his favorite part of the experience could hardly have been a surprise to his mom.
“I love getting wet, and getting you wet,” he said, pointing at Brittany Vincent.
Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
