Lavonia Splash Pad Expected to Open in June

Work on the new Lavonia Splash Pad is nearing completion.

There were rumors that the splash pad would be opening this weekend, but Lavonia Mayor Courtney Umbehant said there’s more yet to be done to get the water fun attraction ready.

He said they were hoping to have it ready for Memorial Day weekend, but now there’s a plan in place to hold a grand opening next month.

The Mayor said there is still some plumbing, paving, and work on the group shelter that still needs to take place.

“Once the concrete has been poured and totally cured then the group shelter will go up. We hope at that point to be able to open it. And then we’ve got a water line we’re going to put in, hopefully, the first week of June. And then we’re going to plan a couple of big events to commemorate it,” the Mayor explained. “We’re really excited about getting it open. And that’s why we’re waiting until June to actually say we’re going to have a kind of a grand opening because we want it to be open as soon as it can but we want to m ake sure that everything is done before we say, ‘Hey it’s open. Y’all come on and play.'”

The Lavonia City Council voted last year to put in the splash pad as part of the upgrades to Lavonia City Park, which also included the group shelter and new playground equipment.

Umbehant said once everything is completed, two big events are planned at the splash pad.

“One will be an employee family day that the City has never had. So we’ll have the park and splash pad for just the employees and their families one day. And then the following weekend we’ll have a big community party,” he said.

Additionally, a mural will be painted on the back wall of City Hall that overlooks the splash pad.

In January, the DDA launched the contest calling on local artists to send in their concept designs.

The winning design was done by Linda Poss and depicts a whimsical lake theme with flowers and the Lavonia logo in the background.

Mayor Umbehant said they expect work on that to begin by artists from the University of Georgia sometime next month.

The City contracted with Great Southern Recreation to install the splash pad at a total cost of $196,809.