“Why doesn’t Squamish have a spray park?” This is a common question every summer when the temperature spikes.
A local woman is taking matters into her own hands and has launched a campaign to bring such a park to the district.
“I have a seven-year old daughter with special needs – she has autism – and we moved here two years ago from Whistler and we were wondering about a water park in the area,” said Layna Mawson. She works as an education assistant and said her students love to play in spray parks as well.
When she didn’t find one she took to social media and found other local parents who wanted a park too.
She set up the Facebook page, Building Our Squamish Spray Park, as a first step.
Mawson also nominated Squamish for the Kraft Heinz Play Project.
The winner of that corporate contest receives $250,000 towards a recreational facility upgrade.
She envisions a park with not only a spray pad feature, but perhaps an art hut.
“Some place that kids can come and just hang out and their parents can even drop them off for a couple hours,” she said, adding she put herself through college by working at parks in other communities as a recreation leader.
Depending on the design, a moderate-sized spray park can cost around $60,000, according to Waterplay Solutions Corp., which builds municipal water and spray parks.
“Communities can take advantage of detachable anchoring systems that allow bases to be installed in advance and add the play components when budget allows or later in the project life cycle when additions or refurbishment are being considered,” said Julie Whittet of Waterplay.
The company’s first spray park was installed in Whistler in 1987.
Whittet recommends a splash pad design with distinct play zones. “A high-action zone for big thrills and dumping buckets, a family-friendly zone for interactive and team play, and then a more calm, contemplative area with gentle sprays for little ones.”
She noted it’s also important to consider the overall environment around the spray park to make it inviting. Amenities such as washroom facilities and park benches make a spray park welcoming to families and caregivers.
The Village of Pemberton has a spray park that operates from May to September. Installed in 2011, the park cost $208,000, according to Angela Barth,
recreation services manager of the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District. It is a closed loop system, which uses treated water from the Village of Pemberton’s municipal water system.
The spray is activated when a user pushes a button and it remains active for a select amount of time before turning off automatically.
Mawson said with all the new developments going up, perhaps developers should be chipping into a fund for a community spray park.
The acting Mayor for August, Doug Race, told The Chief there aren’t funds in the 2017 budget for such a park, but said Mawson should work with District staff on a plan to propose it for next year.
“Staff will kind of suss it out, see if there is locations, see what the costs might be and they will bring it to council,” he said.
He also said coming to the table with some funding, such as through a corporate sponsorship, would help make the proposal more attractive.
