Robin Goist, cleveland.com

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AKRON, Ohio -- Akronites on Tuesday celebrated the opening of the city's first public water-spray park at Joy Park Community Center.

Kids of all ages – and of varying levels of affinity toward water – splashed under the hot sun alongside parents, grandparents, community members and officials including Mayor Dan Horrigan and Ward 5 Councilwoman Tara Samples.

"We had been looking at spray parks and spray pads for a while, and so we just pulled the trigger, and said, 'Listen, let’s invest. Let’s put a five-year plan together to get these all over the city,'" Horrigan said.

Construction began in June on the 1,600-square-foot spray pad next to the community center between Kelly Avenue and James Ingram Way in East Akron.

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Robin Goist, cleveland.com

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Horrigan said the idea came from Akron residents who completed a survey last year about the city's recreation offerings.

About 3,100 residents across 1,500 households completed a survey, and responded "loud and clear" that they wanted more pools and water amenities, the mayor said previously.

The city is in the process of bidding to build a second splash pad next spring at Patterson Park in North Hill. Horrigan has said he wants to eventually build splash pads in each of Akron’s 10 wards.

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Robin Goist, cleveland.com

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Akron also has two outdoor public pools at Reservoir Park in Goodyear Heights and Perkins Park in West Akron.

"Having more of those [pools] gets to be an expensive proposition, but these [splash pads] are a good segue into making kids hopefully not afraid of water and giving them a chance to recreate and play in the water," Horrigan said.

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Robin Goist, cleveland.com

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The city is paying for the splash pad at Joy Park with $215,000 in federal community development block grant funds, according to a city spokeswoman.

The ADA-accessible splash pad, constructed by Daniel A. Terreri & Sons Inc., has eight jets, sprinklers and bubblers that are time-controlled and activated by a push-button in the middle of the water park.

It will be open from seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. during summer months, the city said.

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Robin Goist, cleveland.com

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James Hardy, deputy mayor and chief of staff, said previously that splash pads use less water than traditional municipal pools.

"A typical public swimming pool uses about 1,000 gallons per minute to keep it filled," Hardy said at the June groundbreaking. "We’re going to use about 89.5 gallons [per minute] at the spray park, so we’re going to be water- and eco-friendly."

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Robin Goist, cleveland.com

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Samples, who grew up in the neighborhood, said she was "honored" to represent the first ward to receive a splash pad.

"It's good for the kids and good for the community," Samples said. "We are grateful and excited for our community."

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Robin Goist, cleveland.com

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According to the city, Akron had been one of the largest communities in Northeast Ohio without a splash pad or spray park.

Horrigan said he is happy to see the amenity next to a community center.

"Bathrooms, meeting space, playground, basketball, tennis. This is what community centers are. Studying for school, internet, all of those things," Horrigan said. "This is just one addition to that, and I think it’s a great addition."

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Robin Goist, cleveland.com

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