Children will have a new way to have some fun in the sun while staying cool this summer because Millstadt is opening a new splash pad on Friday. 

“We have three large water features, which would be like the dumping water tower, the dumping bucket and taller sprinkler that shoots out from the top,” Millstadt Mayor Michael Todd said. “Then we have some water guns and a few water features shooting out from the ground like fountains.”

The village began work on the splash pad in 2017 when it filed for grants to help pay for the project. Construction began last spring. 

That work included removing the old baby pool that the splash pad is replacing, tearing out old fencing, installing the piping, building a new pump house and installing the water features. 

Capri Pools did much of the work. 

“We cut a lot of the costs down by the village doing a lot of the work ourselves,” Todd noted. “There was a lot of volunteers on the splash pad, from different companies to individuals volunteering, to help make it possible.”  

The project cost around $400,000 total. 

The majority of that was paid for by those grants, including ones from St. Clair County and Illinois American Water, but the village also paid for some of it through its capital development fund. 

Todd said the village believes the splash pad is a worthy investment. 

“We had a baby pool there before, and it was outdated,” he explained. “We thought the splash pad would be more of a neat thing for the community and the kids. The baby pool was just for babies and this was something that would be for more age groups.”

The community will get its first chance to use the splash pad Friday at 5 p.m. when the Millstadt Chamber of Commerce and Millstadt Swimming Pool host a grand opening. 

The event, which lasts until 8 p.m., will include attendance prizes, food trucks, a live performance by Stompbox and the Mixtapes, a 50/50 raffle and beverages.

The pool is located at 305 W. Parkview Drive. 

The grand opening is free. Once the pool and splash pad open on May 25, admission will cost $8 for most people. Admission for children ages 2-4 is $3. 

The pool also offers season and family passes for residents and non-residents of Millstadt. The cost for those ranges from $35 for a senior to $375 for a family of eight who does not live in the village. 

The splash pad is included in those costs. There are no age restrictions on who can use the splash pad. 

Todd said the splash pad is worth the price of admission. 

“It’s just something new and exciting for our community,” he said. “The water tower feature is something I think the smaller splash pads don’t have in the area. I think it’s a different item. And it has the pool right alongside of it, too, so you have the pool for the older kids and any adults and the splash pad for the younger kids.”

The pool and splash pad will be open noon to 8 p.m. on weekdays and from 1-8 p.m. on weekends and holidays. 

The pool closes Sept. 2. 

Call 618-476-3205 or go to villageofmillstadt.org/pool.htm for more information.