New splash pad under construction for October debut

Rendition of forthcoming Warren County Splash Pad, which won’t include the shrubs. Photo courtesy of Dan Lenz, director of Warren County Parks & Rec.

FRONT ROYAL — Construction started earlier this week on a new splash pad that’s being built in the Dr. Saul Seide Memorial Botanical Gardens on 8th Street, near the Parks & Rec Youth Center across the creek from Bing Crosby Stadium.

The Warren County Splash Pad will be completed and operational in early October, Warren County Director of Parks and Recreation Daniel Lenz told Royal Examiner
“Splash pads have been an attraction around the country for a number of years,” said Lenz. “This facility will hopefully entice our citizens to come out and enjoy the features.”

Lenz explained yesterday that Warren County personnel are performing the site work, including the demolition of the existing fountain and the pouring of the concrete pad for the project.

SeaSpray, LLC will be installing the splash pad components.

The $94,140-project is being funded by Warren County ($45,000); Warren County Parks and Recreation ($16,254); the Dominion Foundation ($15,000); the Warren Coalition ($11,386); the Rotary Club of Front Royal ($6,000); and the Kiwanis Club ($500).

To maximize the potential of the splash pad, Lenz said it is centrally located at the existing park adjacent to the Raymond E. Santmyers Youth Center; has access to ample parking areas, restrooms and picnic areas; and is just a short stroll to a second park system, athletic fields and Bing Crosby Stadium.

Construction has started on the Warren County Splash Pad, which opens in October. Photo by Kim Riley

Phase one of the Warren County Splash Pad project gets under way. Photo by Kim Riley

“The first phase of the Splash Pad project will include the installation of the actual Splash Pad facility,” Lenz said. “A second phase will include the installation of a sidewalk, benches, trash receptacles, and landscaping.”

He said that the second phase will be implemented as funding allows.

The Warren County Splash Pad is part of the overall revitalization of the 3.5-acre Dr. Saul Seide Memorial Botanical Gardens, which along with the rest of the local park system is experiencing increased usage, Lenz said.

The existing fountain is gone at Dr. Saul Seide Memorial Botanical Gardens to make way for the new splash pad being constructed behind the Front Royal Youth Center (background). Photo by Kim Riley

The recently removed lighted water fountain at Seide Memorial Gardens was over 40-years-old and — according to the Request and Proposal for the splash pad’s design and installation — had started “to look unsightly and worn down.”

At the same time, park technicians had to make repairs to the fountain several times a year over the course of the operating season that runs from April through September.

“Installation of the splash pad will provide citizens with a new form of outdoor recreation currently unavailable in our community and encourage citizens to participate in outdoor recreation in Warren County rather than traveling to other localities for this feature,” said Lenz.