Some Lake County parents said a pricey new splash pad is putting their children in danger.
Eustis unveiled a splash pad at Farran Park earlier this month, but one woman said her child has slipped and has fallen three times while playing there.
City leaders are working to figure out if it’s a larger problem, like design issue, or if it’s the inherent dangers of a water park.
Amber Hardee said she brought her 2-year-old to the splash pad to cool down from the summer heat.
“My son stepped right off the little pad and he slipped,” she said.
Then he did it again, and again.
“His feet literally went out from underneath his body, and he slammed his head onto concrete,” Hardee said.
She said the toddler fell three times on the concrete.
The splash pad cost the city $600,000.
City Manager Ron Niebert said there have been four incidents of children slipping.
“We don’t know all the circumstances of the fall issued, so we’re certainly monitoring the situation,” he said.
Niebert said out of an abundance of caution, the city is also looking at alternatives, like putting a non-skid surface or changing the paint on the concrete.
“We’re trying to get ahead of any issue there might be,” he said. “There just really hasn’t been enough time to determine if it’s an issue with the surface, or typically what you might see with any sort of water facility.”
Hardee hopes the problem will be figured out soon.
If the city does choose to make any kind of changes, it will come at a cost, but there is no price tag on possible alternatives.
Cox Media Group
