Abbeville's Splash Pad Now Open

There is a new attraction at A.A. Comeaux Park in Abbeville, one that is making a splash.
Literally.
The city of Abbeville has officially turned on the new splash pad at the park.
“The splash pad is open for business,” Mayor Mark Piazza said.
The splash pad will be open daily, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. That schedule, weather permitting, will remain in place during the summer break.
The city turned on the water last weekend. It didn’t take long to draw a crowd, even with less-than-ideal weather conditions.
“They were out there all weekend,” Piazza said. “If it wasn’t raining, they were out there.
“They were having a lot of fun out there.”
In correlation with the splash pad, the Rotary Club of Abbeville made improvements to the pavilion and installed climate-controlled bathrooms. Showers and a changing room have also been added through the help of the Rotary Club, which uses its comedy night each March to raise funds for community projects. The club invested nearly $35,000 into this project.
“We want to thank the Rotary Club for their support,” Piazza said.
Rotarians also had a big hand in creating the nearby skateboard park that went up a few years ago. Rob Roy, who served as Rotary Club president when work on the splash pad began, said it is nice to see what a partnership with the city has produced.
“I saw people I know posting pictures of the splash pad,” Roy said. “I’m happy to see people enjoying it.
“It’s great to see so many people utilizing the park.”
Piazza said the skate park and the splash pad are perfect examples of what can bring more people to the park.
“I want to thank the City Council for choosing to invest in our parks,” Piazza said, “so that our kids can have some summer activities. I think that the improvements that have been made are beneficial. It’s what citizens have asked for, providing things for the kids to do at the park that don’t just involve sports.”
City employees were heavily involved in the construction of the splash pad.
“Seventy-five percent of the splash pad was done in-house,” Piazza said. “Our electrical people and water crews, along with street and bridge, all helped out.”
Piazza estimated that the price tag of around $75,000 would have easily doubled if not for the capabilities of city employees.
“It would have been twice as much if we had to go out and hire someone to do the complete job,” Piazza said. “We had city employees who were willing and able to do the work. Not everyone can go in and do what Larry Moore and his guys did with the plumbing. They really saved us a lot of money. I want to give them credit.”
The city did hire a consultant from Fort Worth, Texas. However, restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic hindered his ability to travel from Texas to Louisiana for several months.
“That slowed things down,” Piazza said. “It would probably have been open a year ago.”
Thanks to some hard work to get to the finish line, it’s open now.
“We are excited about the splash pad,” Piazza said. “It is a great addition to the park.”