For the regularly scheduled Seymour Parks & Recreation Department board meeting on Monday afternoon at city hall, the Westside Park Splash Pad was brought to everyone’s attention.

Parks Director Chad Keithley announced the splash pad was down at the time but there was some good news about the water feature which officially opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony in June 18.

The first part of the good news was that he had met with the board of health that morning, meaning the city had received its 2024 operating permit for the splash pad.

During the board meeting Keithley said they were expecting a new step pedal to arrive later that evening to install then or Tuesday morning.

On Tuesday morning, he told The Tribune the step pedal was in place and the splash pad was fully operational, open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Some of the complications with the splash pad, board member Kendra Zumhingst attributed to its newness, faulty materials and abuse, and Keithley agreed with that assessment.

While newness and faulty materials have been discussed before, there is concern for how people were activating the splash pad.

“It’s not really a push button (that activates the splash pad), it’s more of a sensory button,” Keithley said.

Due to this misunderstanding, it was reported by some of the park board members people were stomping on the button, which is why a step pedal was installed.

Zumhingst also briefly mentioned the Google listing for Westside Park is confusing because it describes some of the images as “junk photos.”

That’s where people are posting unrelated pictures such as photoshoots and displaying things for sale, which she requested be removed.

Kona Ice was invited to spring soccer events and gave the park department a check for $1,376.60. Keithley said this was roughly 10% of their sales.

Karla Hubbard, the administrator of the Jackson County Health Department, announced three AEDs (automated external defibrillators) with cabinets will be placed in the concession stands at three city parks.

Therefore, in the case of a medical emergency, someone can be rescued, she said.

Keithley gave a demonstration about how the cabinets work by unlocking one. Once unlocked, an alarm went off, which will alert those nearby that there is an emergency.

A miscellaneous item that came up was the Fourth of July festivities having shifted to last Saturday. Keithley was out during that time, so both Zumhingst and Keithley thanked everyone for their hard work during the celebration.

To wrap up the meeting, the Latino Soccer League was brought up, Keithley reporting that things are going smoothly. As previously discussed, he met with the Latino Soccer League director who also met with all of his team captains.

Every Sunday, Keithly said he receives pictures of the officer on site. Having an officer present was one of a few changes to consider in order to let the soccer league continue to play, which they now have.

The next meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. Aug. 12 at city hall.