A young girl is the first victim of the Verosplash water dumping ball. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Community events

New playground and spray park makes big splash in Prince Albert’s Midtown

Aug 30, 2024 | 4:00 PM

Squeals of excitement could be heard on Friday coming from the Midtown Community Hall area, as a long awaited playground and spray park officially opened.

A number of local dignitaries and city officials stood back and watched as the first set of kids tried out the equipment and then got soaked by the numerous water guns and dumping buckets.

“This is the seventh playground we have updated in the City of Prince Albert over the last four years, and we are always happy to see it come to fruition. Playgrounds add so much value to our neighbourhoods, and the Midtown Community Centre Spray and Play Park have been built with legacy in mind, offering an enjoyable space for play and recreation,” said Tim Yeaman, Parks and Open Spaces Manager for the City of Prince Albert.

The Midtown Community Centre Play and Spray Park was identified for replacement through the State of Playgrounds Program, adopted by city council in 2019. The program was designed to prioritize capital investments to refurbish and replace outdated play spaces throughout the city through strategic partnerships, grants, and city funding. Ward 3 Councillor Tony Head was on hand for Friday’s opening and called the event exciting.

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“You know you can see by some of the smiling faces here and it has been a long time coming. Compared to what was here, what a huge improvement and a great addition to the neighbourhood,” he said.

The total cost of the project was $650,000, which was shared by the City of Prince Albert ($158,075) and the federal government’s Canada Community-Building Fund ($491,925). Construction began in mid-May of 2024, and the initial completion goal was June, but there were some weather and equipment related delays.

(Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

(Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

During the summer, the park will also serve as a hub for playground programming, providing even more opportunities for fun and community engagement.

Sometime next month the spray park will shut down again to allow for some final construction work to be done related to pathways and fencing.

“This park is more than just a collection of green spaces, it represents our vision of a healthier, more connected community,” Head said

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell