The splash pad at Joe Delaney Park has been temporarily closed for repairs.
Town employees discovered water leaking from under the foundation in two separate places just weeks after it opened. Crews began repairs Monday morning and the splash pad will remain closed until the work is completed.
Park Committee chairwoman Martha McGee said said they’re unsure how long that will take.
“We don’t know if it will take a couple of days or it may take all week,” she said. “We just don’t know.”
Fortunately, the cost associated with the repairs is covered.
“It’s all under warranty for a year. It’s not going to cost the town anything,” McGee said. “It’s better for it to happen now than later on. We just hate having to close it down.”
The splash pad has been a popular summer destination since opening in early May.
“People have just loved it out there,” McGee said. “I go by there every single day and I get so excited about it.”
It’s been quite a process to get the park where it is, but it’s growing and improving over time. Bids have already gone out for the pavilions and shade structures.
“That’s going to make a big difference out there,” McGee added.
Last June, the town secured a $250,000 matching grant from the Land & Water Conservation Fund Program to pay for the splash pad and several other projects, including pavilions, a walking trail, benches and tables. All of the projects have been approved, but they can only build one thing at a time.
“That delays it some, but it’s free money. We can’t turn it down,” McGee said.
Joe Delaney Memorial Park was formally opened and dedicated Oct. 29, 2016. Delaney, a two-sport All-American at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches and a Pro Bowl running back for the Kansas City Chiefs, died June 29, 1983 while trying to save three children from drowning in a pond near Monroe.
Once it reopens, the splash pad operates seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Town of Haughton’s Facebook page says these will be the operation hours until further notice.
