As the temperature climbed into the 80s on Tuesday, people’s thoughts turned toward the Harmon Park Splash Pad in West St. Paul and when it would open.
At least, one person’s thoughts did.
“We got the first call today,” said Eric Weiss, the city’s director of parks, recreation, environment and sustainability, on Tuesday.
So, when will those sprinklers turn on?
Early!
This city in Dakota County, which hopes to open up the Harmon Park Splash Pad about two weeks ahead of schedule, is not the only municipality switching up their splash pad plans in the face of our early heat — but it’s not as simple as flipping a switch.
Splash pad season
The seasonal debuts of many outdoor, free municipal splash pads are often tied to either the end of the school year or Memorial Day weekend, when the threat of below-freezing temps is (mostly) over and systems have been prepared for use.
In St. Paul, the outdoor splash pads at Conway Park, Roy Wilkins Park, Parque Castillo and Phalen Beach are not due to start sprinkling for 35 more days — on June 11.
“The listed date for splash pads is in conjunction with when school lets out for the summer,” said Clare Cloyd, a spokesperson for St. Paul Parks and Recreation, in an email to the Pioneer Press.
(The last day of school is June 10 for St. Paul Public Schools.)
This timing is also tied to “various seasonal transitions across the system” by maintenance and operations teams, Cloyd said.
Some communities, though, are pushing splash pads to the top of the priority list.
A juggling act
In West St. Paul, the splash pad at Harmon Park, located at 230 Bernard St., is a popular place for people to gather. The amenities also include a playground, picnic areas, restrooms and more, but the spot really comes to life for the summer season when the water is turned on. This usually happens over Memorial Day weekend. There are plenty of hot days before that, though, especially coming up.
“It’s always kind of a moving target,” said Weiss of planning around Mother Nature. “You never know what spring weather will be like. More and more, though, May and September are hot. So we are trying to look at how we do a season extension, but weather is tricky and throws us curveballs.”
It’s a juggling act for city maintenance crews, too, who have more than splash pads on their to-do lists this time of year — especially when it can seemingly transform from winter to summer in a matter of days or weeks.
Barring any system or technical surprises, the Pioneer Press has learned, the splash pad in West St. Paul could be open by Thursday at the earliest — the public should check on the city’s website and social media for updates. And keep an eye on our ever-changing weather forecast.
“Hopefully the second half of May won’t be in the 50s,” Weiss says with a laugh.
In Cottage Grove, kids should also soon be happily splashing at the Splash Pad at Highlands Park, located at 6975 Idsen Ave. S.
“We are actually going to be turning the system on this Friday,” said Zac Dockter, parks and recreation director for the city of Cottage Grove in Washington County. “They have most of the pieces back in place so are working towards Friday opening ahead of the weekend’s warm weather.”
Other demands
In addition to four (free) outdoor splash pads that will run from June 11 to Sept. 1, the city of St. Paul also has other water features to get ready for the official summer season.
Highland Park Aquatic Center and Phalen Beach (guarded) will open for a limited pre-season May 24-26, May 31-June 1 and June 7-8. Regular summer hours are June 11-Sept. 1.
(Como Pool will be open for the summer June 11 to Aug. 20.)
“The aquatics team is working hard to prepare our outdoor facilities and train and certify over 250 team members to ensure a safe and enjoyable summer for all guests,” Cloyd said in her email to the Pioneer Press. “In the coming weeks staff will participate in comprehensive training to be equipped to manage first aid, CPR and water rescues. We are excited to launch the second year of free swim lessons in Saint Paul and expand programming at the Phalen Lakeside Activity Center.”
Other splash pads
Some splash pad systems are more complex to start up than others, like the splash pad at Central Park in Eagan. This splash pad, located at 1507 Central Parkway, uses a recirculating system with chlorination, similar to a pool, in order to reduce water waste. The mechanical systems that support it are also weather-sensitive.
“The swing of seasons is one of our biggest challenges,” said Andrew Pimental, the city’s director of parks and recreation.
It’s easier to extend the season into September, Pimental says, which Eagan has done.
Eagan is scheduled to open its splash pad for the season over Memorial Day weekend. Get text notifications on updates and closures by texting SPLASHPAD to 888-777.
Crews are also at work in Minneapolis, with system start-ups underway.
“Water feature start-ups begin in mid-April (remember, less than two weeks ago we had lows below freezing),” said Robin Smothers, a spokesperson for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, in an email response to the Pioneer Press. “If any exposed pipes freeze it can cause major damage.
“Also, the seasonal process of starting up the approximately 350 plumbing systems can take several weeks. In the spring, the plumbers prioritize drinking fountains and plumbing systems at rental and concession sites.”
All of the city’s wading pools and splash pads will open on May 24. All six beaches will be guarded as of June 7, with Wirth and Nokomis Main beaches also guarded from May 24-26 and May 31-June 1.
Webber Natural Swimming Pool and Lupient Water Park are set to open on June 7 (but North Commons Water Park is closed for construction).
Weather forecast
While it was hot on Tuesday — about 15 degrees above normal for the high — it’ll cool down a bit the rest of the week before hotter temps return for the weekend and next week.
However, Tuesday’s escalation into the 80s is not that unusual, according to the National Weather Service of the Twin Cities.
“Our median first date for 80s in the Twin Cities is, I believe, May 3 or May 4, so we’re pretty much on track,” said meteorologist Tyler Hasenstein.
However, Tuesday was not our first 80-degree day of 2025, which happened on Sunday when it climbed to 81.
The record high for May 6 stands at 92, set in 2016.
Mary Divine contributed to this report.