Shreveport’s Spray Park Reopens After A Rocky Start

I have been a bit worried about what was going on with the spray park in downtown Shreveport. It reopened to much fanfare back in August. But shortly after the big celebration, the fountains broke.

SPAR leaders and the construction company stepped in to figure out what was wrong and get the problem fixed. The work was under warranty. It got fixed for a bit but then the fountains went out again.

The company has been working feverishly to get the problem fixed and get the spray park back open. Well it is fixed and the popular spray park is back open to the public.

Why Did the Spray Park Originally Close?

The spray park was shut down in 2018 after another flood on the Red River damaged the pump and the underground mechanisms at the park. Repair costs were too exorbitant considering future floods could cause similar damage. The park was repaired once prior to 2018 at a cost of about $200,000 but it broke again.

Will Future Flooding Damage the New Version of the Spray Park?

This new design has all of the pumps above ground in secure, air conditioned boxes which will keep them resistant to problems from Mother Nature.

This new technology also has lights that can be coordinated with the lights on the Texas Street Bridge.

How Much Did It Cost to Make the Repairs?

The latest repairs this month are under warranty and will not cost the city any money. But Shelly Ragle with SPAR has told KEEL News the repair work to get the park back open cost about one million dollars. Bids came in last year at $1.376 million from Daren Bailey, INC of Bossier City. KEEL News has learned there were no cost overruns on this project. So the final tab is $1.3 million.

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What Are the Hours for the Spray Park?

The spray park will almost be open around the clock. It will be closed on Mondays for maintenance. But if Monday is a holiday, the spray park will be open. On other days of the week, the spray park will be open from 6am until 2am. And the park will be open year round, not just in the warm months.