Pile of rocks becomes cool splash pad

LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) - Just in time to battle the record heat wave, a new $2 million splash pad for children opened in Leander Friday morning.

The city turned a pile of old rocks into a place for prime summer recreation at Southwest Regional Park, where kids have a new place to keep cool this summer.

"We call this the Quarry Splash Pad," said Williamson County Parks and Recreation Director Jim Rodgers.

It's called that because it used to be an actual quarry.

"If you would have seen it before, you wouldn't believe it," said Rodgers. "It was an old ranch quarry, and so that gave us the idea. All of the rocks you see have come from on site."

It took a year to build. In addition to all the jets of water, there's a big sand area and even a rock waterslide. And for the parents, they get a little shade.

"We have a pavilion area," said Rodgers. "We have a birthday pavilion, so people tend to stay when they come here and make it an all-day affair. So we wanted to offer those amenities as well."

The charge is just $1 per person.

"We have an honor box system, kind of an automated thing," said Rodgers. "It's just to defray our maintenance costs."

The Quarry Splash Pad officially opened Friday at 9 a.m.

"We're just anxious to get it rolling to see how they use it," said Rodgers.