Riverwalk splash pad reopens Friday morning

Small children were taking advantage of two days of rain Thursday morning by jumping in puddles near the Riverwalk splash pad, which was circled with barricades after closing Aug. 26 for repairs.

According to Craig Keys, Bradenton public works section manager, the barricades will be removed by 9 a.m. Friday morning. That was good news for parents like Daniela Bordea, the mother of two small children and a visitor to Riverwalk at least once a week.

“My kids love it,” she said. “They love coming here because there are always a lot of children here and they always make new friends.”

Bordea said it was disappointing the splash pad had to be closed so soon when the park is only a few years old.

“But it doesn’t bother me,” she said. “Sometimes the kids want to play on the splash pad and sometimes they don’t. They like it most often when it’s hot out, obviously, so they can cool down while they are playing on all the other equipment.”

Keys said the pad was under warranty and the repairs didn’t cost anything to the city.

“There were some pieces that were coming up and the kids seemed to love picking at it,” Keys said. “So instead of just doing spot repairs, we just decided to replace the whole pad.”

Public works director Jim McLellan said the pool deck surfacing under the old pad failed, “creating both safety and maintenance concerns.”

McLellan said the defects in the under surfacing have been repaired properly and the new pad will be covered under a new two-year warranty.

“Our expectations are that with the proper installation process utilized this time, we should have a durable and reliable pool deck surfacing that will allow everyone to safely enjoy the splash pad for many years to come.”

This story was originally published September 29, 2016 at 11:59 AM with the headline "Riverwalk splash pad reopens Friday morning."