New spray park opens in Pittsburgh's Chartiers neighborhood

A new spray park opened in Pittsburgh’s Chartiers Park Friday.

More than a dozen local children had already flocked to the new attraction as officials celebrated its opening Friday.

“What we know about water access in communities is it’s especially important during the hot summer,” Director of Parks and Recreation Kathryn Vargas said. “We want to always encourage more and more recreation in communities in the West End.”

The spray park will be a fun place for kids to play and cool off over the summer, and parks also provide ideal settings for other community members to come together, Pennsylvania Sen. Wayne Fontana said.

“Parks and green space is so important, especially in the city of Pittsburgh, for people to come together and interact,” he said.

Amenities like spray parks, he said, are just one example of ways the city can look to improve quality of life for its residents.

“It shows the positive things that can happen in the community when the community and elected officials and various departments work together for the betterment of the neighborhood,” City Council President Theresa Kail-Smith, D-West End, said.

She acknowledged that residents helped advocate for the project, which was started a few years ago.

Kail-Smith promised the neighborhood continued investments, including traffic calming work and new business.

“You’ve not been forgotten in this area,” she said.