South Haven Getting Splash Pad

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Coming soon to the city of South Haven will be a splash pad near South Beach. City Manager Brian Dissette tells WSJM News it’s taken a four year effort to collect the $612,000 needed for the attraction, which will be similar to the Whirlpool Centennial Fountain in St. Joseph.

“It’s a fountain that will have water moving in a variety of different directions,” Dissette said. “What will separate our splash pad from what’s down in the St. Joe area is it will mimic the tall ship, the Friends Good Will. So there will be a variety of play surfaces for children.”

The Friends Good Will is the big ship at the Michigan Martime Museum. Local elementary school kids voted on the Friends Good Will theme, and Dissette says there will be plenty of room for visitors to cool off.

“The intent is to have it blend in with the existing park and make it as pedestrian-friendly as possible while ensuring that it’s designed in a way that will be universally friendly to people of all abilities.”

The city raised much of the money needed through local organizations, and it also got a $300,000 grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund. Dissette expects construction to start this fall and for the pad to be finished next spring.