Residents and visitors of Mount Pleasant looking forward to playing at Island Park’s spray park don’t have much longer to wait.

The water spray park should be completed by the end of August, said Mount Pleasant Director of Parks and Recreation Chris Bundy.

The park, located at 331 N. Main St., was designed by Miracle Recreation of Michigan and will include a “dancing water” area and a permanent canopy for shade and weather protection.

These two elements are the first to be installed anywhere in Michigan by Miracle Recreation, he said.

“The dancing water sprays shoot (water) into the middle,” Bundy said. “This is the first time they’ve done this design in Michigan (and) the canopy is first in Michigan. It’s a pretty unique location.”

Other interactive elements in the park include spray hoses, water cannons, flowers that spray water, different water sprays on a timer and “mushroom” water fountains.

All the piping, electrical and water elements have already been installed and installation of the separate elements will happen sometime next week, he said. External elements such as park benches, bike racks and tables and will be installed soon.

Hours of operation for the park have not yet been decided, but Bundy said they will be published soon.

In order to prevent water waste, the city will run the water through a computer system, he said. All water elements will run on a timer and will activate once a user pushes a button.

“The spray points aren’t on until someone pushes the (button),” he said.

Once a button is pushed, the computer will generate the water and it will only allow water to flow during designated hours. This assures the water will run when users are around to enjoy it and that water will not run when the park is not open.

The spray park water activators will be obvious to children, Bundy said. One of the activation buttons is a giant flower.

One area is made specifically with toddlers in mind and includes smaller, lower-pressure elements. The center area of the park is made for older kids.

Island Park has been busy with additions and improvements this summer, Bundy said.

“There are some other projects going on,” he said. “A lot of things are happening at the park.”

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E-mail the author: Hilary Farrell