Mayor Brown Celebrates Opening Of New MLK Park Splash Pad

$4.5 million state-of-the-art water attraction complements a larger plan for the Martin Luther King Park neighborhood

May 31, 2013 - The city of Buffalo’s new $4.5 million Splash Pad at Martin Luther King Park is officially open.  Today, Mayor Brown, Majority Leader Demone Smith and members of the MLK Park community joined together for a ceremonial ribbon cutting that marked the official opening of the city’s new state-of-the-art water attraction in Buffalo.

“This is a wonderful day for Buffalo and the Martin Luther King Park neighborhood,” said Mayor Brown, noting that the Splash Pad at MLK Park is the largest in New York State and across the country. “As I said from the start, we wanted to build this world class feature, and we wanted to build it right.  Today, I’m excited to count the new splash pad among the city’s great amenities, another positive sign of the continued progress we’re making to strengthen neighborhoods, attract new residents and investment in Buffalo.”

The new water basin features 300 fountains, with 15-foot-high water sprays, and can be animated and set to different patterns through a computer in City Hall.  It will be a splash pad in the summer and a reflecting pool in the spring and fall.  In the winter, the shallow water is expected to freeze and create an ice rink.
 
Located in the heart of one of Buffalo’s historic parks, the new splash pad is part of a larger plan for the Martin Luther King Park neighborhood that sets the groundwork to attract new residents and business owners who want to live, work and invest in Buffalo.  Other projects, underway or completed since 2006, include:

• $2.2 million Fillmore Avenue Streetscape Project is currently underway
• $900,000 in roadway improvements have begun along a stretch of Humboldt Parkway
• $800,000 MLK Park Shelter House Improvements (completed)
• $350,000 MLK Park Picnic Shelter (completed)
• $16 million St. Martin Village Project (completed)
• $500,000 in street paving, $700,000 in signal system improvements and the demolition of 131 blighted structures, at a cost of $2.1 million.  (completed)

Today, city residents and visitors have a new state-of-the-art Splash Pad to enjoy at MLK Park.  The city’s ten other splash pads will open Saturday, June 1, 2013.  They include:

1. Allison (Reese St next to pool)
2. Cazenovia (by Caz casino)
3. Centennial (foot of Porter next to pool in Lasalle park)
4. Kensington (corner of Grider and Kensington next to pool)
5. Lanigan (Fulton between Chicago & Louisiana)
6. Schiller (Sprenger Ave side)
7. Lincoln (end of Quincy St)
8. Masten (Best St next to JBW Stadium)
9. Houghton Park
10. Roosevelt Park

The city spent more than $1.6 million this year on improvements to the Centennial Pool Splash Pad and Roosevelt Park Shelterhouse and Splash Pad.  Surface improvements and automation timers were also made to the Allison, Cazenovia, Kensington, Lincoln, Lanigan, Masten and Schilller Park Splash Pads.