The City of Kamloops says the highly anticipated opening of the accessible spray park and inclusive playground at Riverside Park will take place over the May long weekend.

It says there will be a ribbon cutting, children’s activities, and food trucks at the event which is set to take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 20.

This new playground, which is part of other upgrades at Riverside Park, will be the the first fully accessible and inclusive playground in Kamloops.

Construction began in September last year with the new playground built to incorporate the existing playground by adding several new inclusive amenities – like a “We-Go-Round”, “We-Saw” and a “ZipKrooz” – so children of all abilities will be able to enjoy the downtown park.

As well, the City says the entire playground surface was upgraded to an accessible impact surface, noting the upgraded Riverside Park spray park also includes new accessible features in its design.

“The modernized water spray park features and inclusive playground equipment will provide a sense of wonderment and play for all abilities to enjoy,” the City’s Parks and Civic Facilities Manager, Jeff Putnam, said.

“The new washroom building will be open year-round to improve community access in our most-visited park.”

Check out the @RadioNLNews tomorrow morning at 7:20am as I get to talk to @Jeffrey_Andreas about the Official Opening of the Riverside Park Revitalization Project (scheduled for May 20th). We are so excited about this fully inclusive and accessible park and playground ❤️ ♿️ 🥳 pic.twitter.com/BjHKz2gQxa

— jeff putnam (@Putsky88) April 25, 2023

City estimates from the 2022 Supplemental Budget pegged the cost of the inclusive Riverside Park playground at $900,000, with $200,000 coming from Trans Mountain. It took the overall price of Riverside Park upgrades to just over $6 million.

“The accessible Riverside water park is a prime example of the excellent working relationship between the City of Kamloops and organizations like People in Motion, with the common goal to create a better tomorrow for people living with disabilities and accessibility,” Debora DeLyzer, the Executive Director for People in Motion said in a City news release.

“Individuals of all ages and abilities will have access to enjoy this amenity with family and friends and foster a community where everyone can go everywhere.”

Other upgrades to Riverside Park includes flood-mitigation work between Uji Gardens and Sandman Centre; the demolition of the old concession and washroom buildings; a new year-round change room and washroom building; new lighting, picnic tables, benches, and garbage receptacles along a paved and widened Rivers Trail; an expanded community plaza; and an accessible beach mat for people with mobility issues.

The grand opening comes just one week before the start of the Memorial Cup, which will run at Sandman Centre between May 26 and June 4.

Save the PLAY date – the Riverside Park inclusive playground and accessible spray park will officially open Saturday, May 20! Read the full news release here to learn more about the grand opening event and the park’s impressive new amenities: https://t.co/PrnaOX4sTr pic.twitter.com/Z3CDorJV0C

— City of Kamloops (@cityofkamloops) April 24, 2023