BOISE — The latest amenity coming to Molenaar Park in Boise is arriving right in time for the summer heat.
On Wednesday, the city unveiled Molenaar’s new splash pad with a grand opening and ribbon cutting event.
The splash pad is the latest addition to the community park that serves a large area of southwest Boise. Considerable investments have been made in the park in recent years, including restrooms, a playground and now the splash pad.
Also coming this summer to Molenaar will be a skate park, and a sand volleyball court is being installed in 2024. Those features will make it a fully built park, according to Boise Parks and Recreation Director Doug Holloway.
“The mayor, recognizing that we needed to add more amenities in this part of the city, pushed for budgeting, money to get in the restrooms, to get in the play feature which we opened up a year ago, and now today we’re here to dedicate the water feature which, arguably, is going to be one of the nicest we have in our system and they’re very popular,” Holloway said. “Every neighborhood wants one.”
With temperatures rising and hot summer days not far in the distance, the splash pad opens at the opportune time for residents in the southwest sector of the city.
“When I showed up, it actually really was fun to think about when my kids were little, the fun we would have in parks. Although we would bake in parks because it was so hot. We didn’t have water features back in the day,” Boise Mayor Lauren McLean said just prior to cutting the ribbon. “Having a splash pad like this, especially on these hot summer days, is just going to make it so much better, I think, for moms, dads, kids, grandparents.”
Molenaar is not the only park in Boise that comes equipped with a splash pad or fountain.
Others are the Ann Morrison Interactive Fountain, the Borah Park Spray Pad, the Comba Park Splash Pad and the Grove Plaza Fountain downtown.
Elsewhere in the Treasure Valley, Nampa residents can cool off at Lakeview Water Park, Lincoln Pool or Orah Brandt Park Splash Pad. The city announced on Wednesday that, with temperatures approaching 80 degrees this weekend, the Orah Brandt Park Splash Pad will open starting Friday.
And in Caldwell, people can find a reprieve to the heat at the splash pads located at Indian Creek Plaza.
