Englewood – Sydni Gonzalez was happy to see streams of water spouting from the ground at Cornerstone Park after an afternoon under a hot sun.
“It feels good, but it’s cold at the same time,” said Sydni, 7, of Englewood.
She was among a dozen kids whose day-care group spent last weekend at the park’s new water playground near the intersection of West Belleview Avenue and South Windermere Street.
It features a unique system that shoots water high into the air then sends the runoff flowing downhill to a retention pond in nearby Progress Park. There it’s used for other recreation purposes before being pumped back uphill to irrigate Cornerstone Park.
And to educate kids, the Sprayground, as it is called, features signs that detail how the water is recycled and offer tips on water conservation. They include hints to adults about leaky faucets and taking shorter showers.
“We’re trying to teach them pretty basic things, but things that kids can understand and take the initiative to do on their own,” said district park planner Melissa Reese-Thacker.
The South Suburban Parks and Recreation District spent $185,000 building the new playground that features fountains of gushing water from spouts in the ground and from a 10-foot-tall metal flower in the playground’s center.
“They used to have a park like this in Littleton when I was growing up, and one of my fondest memories was playing in the fountains on a hot day like today,” said Bob Dixon, 37, who wasn’t quite ready to run the fountains along with his 2-year-old son, Esten. “I just need to reach critical mass and temperature, and I’ll be out there with him.”
There is little shade and few trees at Cornerstone Park, so the playground offers kids a quick way to cool off, said Emily Percuoco, 28, of Englewood, a nanny who brought Margot Mackenzie, 4.
“It can get really hot at this park, and there are really few places to go to escape the sun,” Percuoco said.
The water playground, which is free, is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. when the weather cooperates. It’s located behind the Colorado Journey Miniature Golf Course and across the street from the city of Englewood’s water- slide park, Pirates Cove Aquatic Center.
Said Reese-Thacker: “We wanted to create something for families to come and enjoy without worrying about admission.”
Staff writer Manny Gonzales can be reached at 303-820-1173 or mgonzales@denverpost.com.
