Bradenton Riverwalk splash pad expected to reopen Friday as repair work begins

BRADENTON -- Repairs to the Bradenton Riverwalk splash pad, which was shut down last week, started Thursday morning. The popular water feature is expected to reopen by late Friday.

The Arizona-based contractor arrived in St. Petersburg for a job Thursday and sent a worker to Bradenton to begin repairs on a segment of the splash pad pulled up by a group of young children.

The city initially suspected vandalism, but video surveillance showed a small boy finding a loose area of the pad. The child told another child, who told two more youngsters and they all began to pull on the pad, eventually ripping up about a 2-foot swath.

Company employee Jeff Curtis said the damage is

all part of normal wear and tear and the pad is under warranty.

"So this isn't costing the city anything," Curtis said.

Curtis said he discovered other areas of padding in need of work around the playground. He said he would finish those areas and begin on the splash pad, noting the splash park should be able to open by Friday or "this weekend" at the latest.

The Bradenton Police Department would not release the video citing the age of the children and stated there was nothing criminal in nature and would not hold the parents accountable. Capt. William Fowler reviewed the video and said the children did the damage in less than a minute and the parents immediately intervened when they noticed what the children were doing.

Mark Young, Herald urban affairs reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7041 or follow him on Twitter @urbanmark2014.

This story was originally published May 12, 2016 at 11:28 PM with the headline "Bradenton Riverwalk splash pad expected to reopen Friday as repair work begins ."