Escape the Summer Heat at MLK Park Splash Pad

By Robbie Asendorf, Sales Engineer, H2O Fun Division, Hobbs Architectural Fountains; and Larry Shield, Regional Editor

Unfortunately for a generation of East Side residents, their only experience of this feature has been as a barren, cracked, concrete basin. In 2003 with funding from Erie County, the City of Buffalo and the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation, a new Splash Pad was designed to take the place of the wading pool.

Summer temperatures and humidity can be brutal in upstate New York. That?EUR??,,????'???s why a design firm and fountain manufacturer teamed up two years ago to create a perfect solution at historical Martin Luther King Jr. Park.

The park?EUR??,,????'???s most significant feature was the five-acre wading pool that once attracted thousands of people from the region. Unfortunately for a generation of East Side residents, their only experience of this feature has been as a barren, cracked, concrete basin. In 2003 with funding from Erie County, the City of Buffalo and the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation, a new splash pad was designed to take the place of the wading pool.

Dozens of jets shoot out water at varying heights, forming five different patterns, at the center of the massive four-acre wading pool.

Hobbs Architectural Fountains worked along with a team from Wendel Duchscherer Architects & Engineers consisting of several architects, landscape architects and engineers to design and implement the new splash pad. The splash pad was located in a 90-foot diameter circle and consisted of 10 spray circles with lighting, 12 fan jets, and a total of 80 vertical spray jets arranged in groups of 10 to form arcs in a symmetrical pattern around the center of the circle. A total of 16 separate zones that are programmed to turn on/off throughout the display sequence program making the display highly interactive and enjoyable for those playing, as well as those simply enjoying the view. All display jets are flush-mounted and removable. The ability to remove the jets and replace them with a winterization plug was essential to the design, as it is provided the ability to flood the splash pad area in the winter and use it as an ice skating rink.

?EUR??,,????'??The splash pad was designed to become an ice skating rink, but we had such a mild winter in Buffalo that it didn?EUR??,,????'???t happen,?EUR??,,????'?? said Darryl Jones, Landscape Architect for WDA&E. ?EUR??,,????'??We wanted the feature to be interactive, but we weren?EUR??,,????'???t allowed to have any standing water. So we had to have a zero-depth splash pad area. It all had to be approved by the New York State Historical Preservation Office (NYSHPO)?EUR??,,????'??.

The project was funded with city and county funds, as well as a grant from the Wendt Foundation. Antoine M. Thompson, Masten council member, has been credited with helping to build consensus for the restoration project. The next phase of the project is to fill the pool with water, as it was years ago.

A four-acre wading pool was one of the largest of its kind in the country, which was used at the park until the 1960s. That wading pool became defunct due to some health considerations and lack of enough lifeguards on the grounds. ?EUR??,,????'??The city of Buffalo pushed to do something with the pool, but it would?EUR??,,????'???ve been cost-prohibitive,?EUR??,,????'?? said Jones. ?EUR??,,????'??We were hired to come up with a number of concepts on how to re-use the area in different ways. Because of budgetary constraints it had to be planned out in separate phases. Phase I dealt with the splash pad and future phases would?EUR??,,????'???ve installed more splash pads or reflective pools.?EUR??,,????'??

MLK Park splash pad operated last year, but this year has suspended operation. That?EUR??,,????'???s because the state has shut down all the splash pads until they satisfy mandatory improvements in the filtration systems. This all stems from a problem that happened in the middle of the state. The splash pad at Seneca Lake had some health issues last year with contaminated water, which caused many of the users to become ill. New York health codes made sure afterwards that all splash pads had to adhere to chlorine standards.

The splash pad was located in a 90-foot diameter circle, and consisted of 10 spray circles with lighting, 12 fan jets, and a total of 80 vertical spray jets arranged in groups of 10 to form arcs in a symmetrical pattern around the center of the circle .

View Full Size Image

Because children were playing with water, the concrete surface was textured, to limit slippery surfaces. Jones said his firm had seen where other projects had some rubberized safety surface installed for water play structures, but problems arose when the surface started to lift or bubble. The rubberized safety surface also seemed to be cost prohibitive.

?EUR??,,????'??NYSHPO had a say in what type of surface was used and they wanted it to closely adhere to the old wading pool,?EUR??,,????'?? said Robert Frazer, Landscape Architect for WDA&E. ?EUR??,,????'??We were allowed some slight color variation in the splash pad area with a tan earth tone, but there wasn?EUR??,,????'???t a wide range of colors.?EUR??,,????'??

Hobbs manufactured the fountains. These were uplit with red, yellow and blue ground lights, which had special casings and were water-tight to prevent them from becoming too hot. These were all tied into a computer system that lit up the pad at night until 10 p.m.

Two separate pump systems and two underground reservoirs with elaborate pipe systems made sure the splash pad didn?EUR??,,????'???t run out of water, said Frazer. Computerized mechanisms allowed for different heads, pressures and features such has a variety of sprays, depending upon the height of the child.

Getting out of the sun and onto the splash pad in Martin Luther King Jr. Park?EUR??,,????'???s wading pool is too much fun for these kids, as well as a few adults, to resist. The Splash Pad is in operation from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

?EUR??,,????'??There?EUR??,,????'???s a lot of products where kids can push a button for an interactive water feature,?EUR??,,????'?? said Frazer. ?EUR??,,????'??NYSHPO said that we could have nothing above ground, so that was a tough design sell.?EUR??,,????'??

The splash pad is surrounded by a seat wall with a precast capstone made by Southside Builders Supply Corp. Benches were placed at the center of the splash area, said Jones. Maglin Furniture customized a bench by cutting off the legs and attaching it to the light fixtures in the center of the splash pad.

Once fund-raising gets underway future phases could include installation of a wading pool, adding more splash pads or reflective pools. But now the biggest priority is getting the splash pad back in operation this summer by adhering to New York?EUR??,,????'???s water quality standards.