Avery Labaire, 2.
ANSONIA — City officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony over the weekend to officially open the first municipal splash pad in the lower Naugatuck Valley.
Splash pads — small sprinkler systems to give kids a chance to cool-off in the summer — have become popular all over the U.S.
The only local splash pad is in Shelton, at The Boys & Girls Club.
But the Ansonia splash pad is the first available to the public for free.
It’s something Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti wanted to get off the ground for years. He was spurred on by interest from Ansonia residents in various Facebook message forums and social media — including The Valley Indy’s Facebook page.
Corporation Counsel John Marini noted the splash pad was the result of a community effort.
“We are very happy to have support from not only the elected officials, but our city departments, the public, and groups like Orange for Ansonia that are all volunteer, not affiliated with the city in any other way just that they want to help,” Marini said.
The playground has a firefighter theme to pay tribute to and honor the volunteer firefighters of Ansonia. The playscape and splash pad have elements designed to represent the five firehouse companies in Ansonia. All five badge insignias are displayed on the playscape. Additionally, the splash pad has firefighter themed elements, including a Dalmatian.
Alyssa Ullrich, an Ansonia resident, was at the grand opening with her 4‑year-old son, Emmett. The splash took a few years to come to fruition, and construction was delayed. However, Ullrich said the city did a good job communicating with residents.
“They did a good job quickly and they kept us updated,” she said.
Mayor Cassetti said he was happy to have a new recreation option for Ansonia kids.
“This finally long-awaited project has come to fruition. I’m very excited for the residents and children of Ansonia and the Valley. This park will be used for years to come and I want to make sure we maintain it properly.”
The splash pad is located at Nolan field (Intersection of Wakelee Avenue and Franklin Street).
The structure of the playground was done by Child Scapes and the splash pad installation was done by Splashpad.com.
The Cassetti administration told The Valley Indy last month the splash pad project totaled $312,000. The money to pay it comes from the American Rescue Plan Act.
The splash pad is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. all week. There’s a button to push on a metallic post to operate the splash pad. It won’t work before or after hours.
