Cranberry Waterpark to receive new splash pad for upcoming season
When Cranberry Waterpark opens for the summer, visitors might spot a noticeable change from last year.
Construction crews have begun work on a new splash pad for the park, which will replace the sand pit. While the park already features a splash pad aimed at children of all ages, the new splash pad is intended for younger children, according to Michael Malak, the township’s director of engineering.
“This new splash pad is going to be geared toward younger, less-than-5-year-old children,” Malak said.
Cranberry Township supervisors approved the new splash pad at their meeting in December. The contractor assembling the feature is Vortex USA, with Jeffrey Associates attaching the shade structure. The township’s in-house engineering team has taken apart the sand pit.
Malak said the new splash pad is expected to cost around $550,000.
“This is one of our capital projects for 2024,” Malak said.
The township decided to replace the sand pit after it determined it was becoming too expensive to maintain, and the sand was causing mechanical problems for some nearby water systems.
“It’s reached the end of its useful life,” Malak said. “Sand is really not a good mix with the pool. It gets into the filtration system. Even though we have areas for people to rinse off, it still made its way into the pool and into our filter system.”
The splash pad is expected to be complete in time for the water park’s opening May 25, or shortly afterward.
“As of today, we are on schedule,” Malak said last week.
