Beginning tomorrow (June 4), community members will be able to cool off at no cost at Cochrane's only spray park located at Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre (SLSFSC).

Thanks to a sponsorship from Bow Rivers Edge Campground Society (partnership consisting of Cochrane Lions Club and Rotary Club of Cochrane and Area) a five-year committal of funds will allow for free access for all. While BREC did provide sponsorship dollars last summer the spray park was only open free to the public on Wednesday's and Sunday's.

Weather permitting the splash park will remain open until September 2nd and SLSFSC is thrilled to offer a way for families to cool down without barriers and a bunch of restrictions, shares Heath Miller the COO of Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre. "We are so happy about it, and it is incredible. It is important for us to provide opportunities like this for families. They can now come out for free and it could be two to three hours of entertainment for the kids. They can come and sit in the shade, have a snack, or pack a lunch as a family; I think it's going to be great."

Listening to feedback from the community, Miller shares they have made an effort to address one of their biggest complaints from last summer, as well as add a couple of new features. A snack cart will be stocked with purchasable cold drinks and snacks during the prime summer months and on select days in June and September, as well as a bank of portable washrooms, will make an appearance come July to make visiting the spray park easier for families. "One of the complaints was that there was no shade out there because there are no mature trees. There is a nice grassy area adjacent to the spray park, but there really are no trees. To address this we do have a number of picnic tables we're going to put out there and umbrellas just so people can have shade."

Miller states there is one more improvement they would still like to make to the outdoor pad in the future. "We are looking at putting down a rubberized flooring pad because right now it is a concrete pad. We do have a plan to beautify the area and make it safer for people, but we'll have to do some fundraising for that. We all know what it is like to walk on hot concrete so this will be much kinder to the feet and if a child slips and falls it is very forgiving. It also looks way better and we will be able to pick our design and colour; I think there is a lot of pluses  to it." 

Besides opening up to the public seven days a week, SLSFSC has also removed the 18C benchmark temperature. The only two reasons the public may not be able to utilize the spray park during public access hours would be due to mechanical issues or lightning storms.  "We want to make it simpler and easier for people to access; you can put up a whole bunch of restrictions and rules on things but then people are always checking the website to see if it's open. We just thought let's simplify it and make it accessible for people. We hope it is a good news story."

The only thing to make a special note of is the hours. While the spray park will be open and free seven days a week, they are giving a perk to facility members. "We thought if we open it up for free from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.all the time, are we taking away something from our members?! There were some people on our team that felt it was important to have some perks as a member so we thought if we make it exclusive to our members from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m then they could at least have a few hours there with some privacy if they like. We are trying to meet the needs of the overall community but also make sure our members have some privileges."

The mechanics of the spray park have been tested and are working well, and users can change in the public washrooms of the facility. One last reminder to parents is supervision should be provided for younger children utilizing the spray park at all times. 

Looking forward to tomorrow's opening date, Miller shares he is looking forward to the community response and any/all feedback is encouraged.

Cochrane will now be added to a long list of many other small communities/centres such as Bassano, Brooks, Airdrie, Crossfield, Vulcan, Okotoks, Turner Valley, High River, Claresholm, Fort Macleod, Coleman, Carstairs, Penhold, Olds, Drumheller, Three Hills, Trochu, Innisfail, Red Deer, Blackfalds, Rimbey, and Lacombe that also offer  a FREE opportunity to cool off.