Goleta has a splash pad.
More than 100 people packed Jonny D. Wallis Park Thursday afternoon to celebrate the opening of the park’s long-awaited splash pad.
Kids ran through the jets, splashed and jumped around.
“Everyone has been wanting this,” said Sally Martinez, whose grandchildren were eagerly waiting for the opening.
A Goleta resident, she remembers when the park used to be a patch of dirt. Now, she’s glad her daughters, Carmen and Catherine Martinez, can take their kids to their park.
City officials including Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte and Councilmember James Kyriaco spoke to the excitement of the splash pads, but not without interruption from excited kids, screaming “let us in! Let us in!” Kona Ice was also there to help cool people off.
Ruth Maldonado was especially excited for her son, seven-year-old Luca Garcia, to experience the splash pads. Garcia has autism, and water provides a sensory experience for him, Maldonado said.
For many, it was a long time coming for a city that’s needed more investment, said Kyriaco.
“This is the neighborhood that, for so long, under prior management, had disinvestment and didn’t get the resources it needed,” Kyriaco stated. “But the City of Goleta is listening to residents and we’re making these investments.”
The splash pads — an interactive water playground — are the first of their kind at Santa Barbara County public parks, offering kids the chance to cool off during the summer months. They are the newest $1.7 million addition to the variety of amenities available at the park, such as pickleball, bocce ball and a skatepark.
At Jonny D. Wallis Park, users activate the splash pads instead of water running continuously throughout the day. The splash pads also use a recirculated and treated water system to preserve water.
The project to build the splash pads was nearly six years in the making.
It was delayed by a drought, manufacturing and construction issues, and malfunctions during inspection, when it was set to open last summer. They were part of the second phase of construction since the park opened seven years ago.
“I know I’ve made a few promises in the past that it would be open sooner,” Perotte said. “I’m sorry about that. But we never lost sight of what this would mean for our community.”
The splash pads will be open seasonally from now until Labor Day Weekend. They will operate every day except for Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
