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'Gremlins' being worked out at splash park as pool season ends
Monday night may have been a tsunami of a success for the Bob York Memorial Splash Park dedication and opening at Robe-Ann Park in Greencastle.
But the rest of the week? Not so much.
When park employees turned the water off as the opening celebration came to an end sometime after 8 p.m. Monday, some pesky gremlins apparently took over.
"We shut the activation button off at 8 p.m. Monday," Park Director Rod Weinschenk told the Park Board Thursday night, "and it hasn't worked since."
That button is designed to allow the elements of the new splash park to be turned on when people are around to enjoy them and the water to remain off at other times, operating much the same as the activation switch on a spa or hot tub at most hotels.
Consequently, water at the splash pad -- which is recirculated incidentally -- has been manually turned on at 10 a.m. and off at 8 p.m. ever since, Weinschenk said.
The contractor and representatives from Spear Corp., Roachdale, have been working on the problem since Tuesday, Weinschenk said, even replacing the activation button a number of times.
"I think they got a bad batch of them," the park director said of the buttons.
"It's just gremlins, little gremlins," he told the board.
Other than that glitch, all reviews have been positive on the new Greencastle Civic League-inspired addition to the aquatics center and Robe-Ann Park.
While the city pool itself will be closing for the season after Sunday, the splash park is expected to remain open longer.
"I can foresee it staying open through Labor Day (Sept. 1)," Weinschenk said. "We've talked about later in September but it depends upon how the weather is and how people use it."
While admission to the splash park is free of charge, city park officials haven't determined the best way to keep people from entering the splash park and then gravitating to the pool without paying the admission fee to the pool.
With only a couple days left at the pool, however, that is an issue Weinschenk and the Park Board can mull over before next season.
The park director did rule out any kind of wrist band, noting that they would ultimately end up at the bottom of the pool or in the filter system anyway.
Likewise, hand stamps don't seem like the answer since they would likely be washed off in the pool or at the splash park.
"I'm not sure what to do next year," Weinschenk told the board. "It would be great if everyone just bought a pool pass, then we wouldn't have to worry about it."
Meanwhile, the Park Board also approved a list of rules for the splash pad (the area in which the water features function) and the splash park (the overall area, including the small shelters and picnic tables).
A 54 x 62-inch sign will be installed denoting the rules of the splash park that were adopted Thursday night.
Hours of operation are listed as 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily as weather permits.
Some of the main rules listed are:
-- Children under 14 are not to use the splash park unless accompanied by a responsible adult.
-- Spitting or spouting water or similar behavior is prohibited.
-- No running, rough play or profanity is permitted.
-- Street clothes are not allowed on the splash pad. Proper swim attire is required.
-- Dogs or other pets are not allowed in the splash park.
-- No food or drink of any kind is allowed on the splash pad.
-- No objects (such as lawn chairs) are allowed to be placed under the water features.
-- No equipment such as beach balls, noodles, skateboards or bicycles are allowed within the facility.
-- Smoking is not permitted within the splash park or within eight feet of the gate.