Park’s whale finds the water late in the summer
The city’s only whale has found the water again, and local kids
should reap the benefits.
Park’s whale finds the water late in the summer
The city’s only whale has found the water again, and local kids should reap the benefits.
After opening Valley View Park in 2005 and the novelty water whale there in 2006, city officials a year later closed down the play structure due to budget cuts at the time. On Tuesday of this week, however, the city parks department started operating the water whale again, and the city plans to keep it running for the rest of the summer, said maintenance worker Juan Lopez.
Lopez said the whale-shaped structure will be open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week, but a precise date when it will close has not been determined.
City parks officials don’t have an exact estimate for the whale’s cost, though they have noted the majority of that cost is for labor, as the water’s chlorine level has to be checked daily and city workers have to be certified for it.
City official Clay Lee also noted how the whale opened this late in the summer because there were some mechanical problems to fix.
The park as a whole cost $619,000 and was helped by $411,000 in grant funding from the state. Lopez, meanwhile, asked that residents who use the whale be careful and safe.
