As the summer heats up, towns across the state are looking to grant funding for a singular type of fun for kids and families – spray and water parks!
Public parks, held in trust by the American people, are perfect places to celebrate our nation’s birthday. They embody the democratic spirit of this great nation, where anyone, no matter what their background, can enjoy beautiful vistas, close-to-home playgrounds, barbecues and sports fields, fun on the water and family camping vacations.
Many communities still don’t have even a single local park. The Coalition is working to support increased access to close-to-home parks for every community across Washington State.
We have some suggestions for parks you can enjoy this summer, but some communities still need support to make outdoor recreation possible for their residents. The City of Arlington recently applied for funding from both the Land and Water Conservation Fund and Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program to build a waterpark for families and visitors. In Anacortes, the city has applied for WWRP funding to develop a new spray park at John Storvik Municipal Park with surprise interactive elements of play that will be activated by sensor, where the child controls the fun. In 2008, the community in Anacortes raised over $100,000 to build a new playground in the center of the park. The spray pad will be another phase of improvements to encourage youth and family recreation within a safe and accessible environment.
Recently funded projects that are helping families beat the summer heat include:
Badger Mountain Park Spray Park
Funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund in 2012 allowed the City of Richland to construct a nearly 6,000 square foot accessible water spray park.
Newport Spray Park
Funding from the WWRP helped the City of Newport develop a spray park within Newport City Park. The 3,500 square foot water feature spray park is ADA accessible and enjoyed by many families each summer.
If you’re visiting one of the over 1,200 projects that the Coalition has helped protect, send us a photo!