Festus, MO – The past week continuing into next week, the heat has been brutal. The City of Festus is coming close to offering some reprieve. The new splash pad and playground located in Crites Memorial Park is almost complete. According to the City of Festus Parks and Recreation Department, the splash pad construction is already complete, and it only needs to be tested. The 11,000 square foot playground and splash pad is expected to open together around mid-August 2025.

The playground is needing a few more items to be completed before it can be officially open to the public. A big outstanding line item is that the city is waiting on the pour-in-place rubber surfacing for the playground. This pour-in-place is a cushion layer of small rubber granules that would provide a softer ground for children to run on and help prevent serious injuries if someone were to fall on it.

Other items to need to be completed before opening are a fence around the splash pad, concrete poured around the new benches around the playground, and a concrete walkway connecting the playground and the splash pad.

A new welcome sign will be installed next week, however it will remain covered until the grand opening.

Paul Barnard Editor

Paul Barnard is the editor of the Twin City News. Barnard Graduated from Norwich University, America's oldest private military college, with a B.S. in Communications and Media Technology. There he studied journalism and marketing. For years after, Barnard was in law enforcement and gained experience in the Special Investigations Unit and publishing all the department's press releases. As Barnard's family grew, he moved on to start Twin City News.

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