RIVER ROUGE, Mich. (WXYZ) — The River Rouge splash park has been closed all summer, leaving residents without a popular cooling option during hot weather.
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The city announced the closure during a monthly meeting in June, but many community members say they want more transparency about when the facility might reopen.
"Me and my kids went almost every week last summer at least once or twice. It's a good activity for them to get out and get all their energy out," Wendy Arredondo said.
Arredondo's children are among many in the community who miss the splash park. Her daughter Lilly expressed disappointment about the continued closure.
"I still want to go there," Lilly said.
A city spokesperson confirmed in an email that the splash pad is closed for repairs, stating:
As mentioned during the Council Meeting on June 3rd, the River Rouge Splash Pad is currently closed for the summer due to repairs. Once the repairs are complete and there is a reopening date, it will be announced. We understand that this closure impacts the residents, especially the children, and we are taking steps to ensure that there will be an alternative this summer.
When asked about the timeline for repairs, associated costs, and whether work is currently underway, the city has not yet provided additional details. Mayor William Campbell was unavailable for comment.
Residents like Shelly Young worry about the impact on families without other options to beat the heat.
"Especially for the kids that don't have a pool and it's hot outside and they have to play outside when they're bored," Young said.
Arredondo believes the city could do more to keep residents informed about the situation.
"They send a newsletter all the time, like every month they send a River Rouge city newsletter, it didn't say, unless I didn't catch it, but it never said, oh it's closed. They have a Facebook page that never said closed for repairs or not opening this year," Arredondo said.
She hopes the city will address the issue soon, noting the importance of such facilities for the community's youth.
"You know, and I feel like there's a lot of kids that, it's summer time, they're looking for something to do, something to stay out of trouble, so it would be nice if they figured it out," Arredondo said.
As an alternative, River Rouge High School is opening its pool to the community every Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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