Community Government

City hoping to open Skansie Park splash pad this summer

The city of Gig Harbor hopes to have the popular Skansie Brothers Park splash pad open for public use this summer. But officials are not sure they’ll achieve that goal due to current repair needs, some of which will be addressed this autumn.

“We do not have a timeline on when current repairs will be completed due to long lead-times with specialty replacement parts,” explained Public Works Director Jeff Langhelm. “We cannot guarantee that those repairs will happen in time to open for the summer.”

The city will address a wiring problem with the fountain this fall.

Children play in the Skansie Park fountain in 2023. Photo by Vince Dice

Kyle Neiman, the city’s parks and facilities operations supervisor, said that the city discovered the wiring issue — a broken specialized fitting — in April, when staff de-winterized the equipment. He said that the city is working to resolve the issue as soon as possible. Staff filed a planning permit for rewiring on May 11.

“There is no safety issue because of wiring,” Neiman said. “This wiring is within the controls for the splash pad and is not in contact with water. Without the wiring repairs, the splash pad simply won’t operate properly.”

A splash pad that isn’t

Part of the problem is that the splash pad was not intended for use as a splash pad. According to the splash pad’s entry in the city’s CIP StoryMap, it was designed as an artistic water feature.

“This change to a public splash pad led to the primary components being placed in an underground vault in the middle of the plaza. To use the feature as a public splash pad, the vault needs to be accessed daily by staff,” the entry reads. “With the equipment being placed in a damp, enclosed environment and with staff needing frequent access, the piping and electrical controls have broken down. This project intends to replumb and rewire the splash pad to make it accessible above ground and allow for longer life of the system, as well as ease of maintenance.”

The CIP StoryMap entry states that the project will cost an estimated $250,000, with revenues from the city real estate excise tax providing funding.

The city turned off the splash pad’s fountain in July 2025, eliminating a favorite cooling-off spot for many families.

Kids cool off in the fountain at Skansie Brothers Park in Gig Harbor in 2022. Vince Dice