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Date: 6/15/2022
AGAWAM — Hundreds of people want the town spray park open now, according to a change.org petition presented to city councilors on June 6.
In a spirited address to the council, petition organizer Catherine McDougal made the case for an earlier opening of the School Street Park water feature.
“The Splash Pad at School Street Park is a wonderful place for kids of all ages to cool off once the warm weather arrives. However, the Splash Pad does not begin operations until late June, after the last day of school in Agawam, Mass. This is disappointing to parents and kids alike, since the hot weather often arrives weeks before the end of school, and hangs on well into September,” she said.
The petition, which has more than 300 online signatures, asks the mayor and City Council to instruct the Parks and Recreation Department to open the splash pad on weekends beginning Memorial Day weekend, and to stay open on weekends until at least Sept. 1.
“Kids need to keep cool before school ends,” reads a comment attributed to Debbie Athas.
Another comment, attributed to Joyce Dolat, says, “When we have heat waves, this is the only cooling down for some people. Why not make it accessible?”
The spray park is slated to open June 26, with daily operating hours of 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to Parks and Recreation Director Christopher Sparks. He said this date is chosen to coincide with the beginning of school summer vacation.
Sparks said on June 9 that he was aware of a petition about a proposed change, but that no such changes had been formally discussed with his department and the council or mayor’s office.
None of the city councilors remarked publicly on McDougal’s petition at the meeting. Town Clerk Vincent Gioscia said the petition creates no legal obligation for the City Council, as the town only recognizes petition signatures collected via ink and paper.
June temperatures have risen steadily in Agawam since the water park first opened in 2015. June 7, 2021, saw highs of 94 degrees Fahrenheit, reaching up to 98 degrees by the month’s end. Comparatively, the highest temperature in June 2015 was 89 degrees, according to historical weather data accessed from Weather Underground.
Catherine McDougal was not available for comment before The Reminder’s deadline.