Memorial Park splash pad is located at 1602 S. Church St. in Decatur. It’s between Decatur Police Department and Decatur Fire Department Station 1, near the former Wise Heritage Museum building. AUSTIN JACKSON | WCMESSENGER
The splash pad at Memorial Park — the first feature of the newly-developed park space between the Decatur Police Department and Decatur Fire Department Station No. 1 — will open in time for the official start of summer.
The city will celebrate the grand opening of “Decatur’s new way to play” May 23, which falls on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.
“This will be a safe, handicap-accessible place for families to cool off from the Texas heat,” said Heath Taylor, director of Decatur’s parks and recreation department.
In essence, the new splash pad at 1602 S. Church St. distills the American pastime of running through sprinklers in a front yard reimagines the experience with an arsenal of interactive spray elements and a towering water bucket designed to drench those below.
Look out when you’re standing below the splash pad dump bucket. AUSTIN JACKSON | WCMESSENGER
The fenced-in facility includes restrooms, turf and a variety of seating options, along with shade and an emergency phone. It will also feature nods to the nearby Decatur police and fire departments, which should help make it among the safest parks in town for visiting families.
In the future, Taylor said additional improvements could be pursued on the park property. Some of the potential ideas and goals include a Harmon Park-style playground — similar to the popular family destination — and a walking trail featuring memorials honoring notable people and places in the city’s history. Those could include civil servants or references to city history and historic buildings, like the nearby Decatur Baptist College building, which was destroyed in a March 2023 fire. The splash pad project was funded through the city’s 2022 bond package and is the final project from that issuance, Taylor said.
The Decatur City Council approved the name “Memorial Park” last week.
The grand opening celebration is 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 23 at 1602 S. Church St. It will include free food and treats, including hot dogs, chips, drinks and snow cones.
The splash pad at Memorial Park. AUSTIN JACKSON | WCMESSENGER
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