Spray ground opening eases parents' minds

The Junior League Jurassic Jungle Spray Ground opened Saturday afternoon, and many families couldn’t be more excited about the water attraction.

One mother of three, said the spray ground is more than just a place to cool off. It also provides peace of mind.

“Well my son Tenneson, he has Asperger’s. And so it’s really hard when we’re at the pool to keep track of everybody. And he gets really overstimulated and so this is perfect because I don’t have to worry about him going underwater so this is perfect for us,” she said.

The Lax family recently moved from Dallas to Odessa. And with two other children, it can be safer to keep trips more local.

“I’m just so pleased because like you said Hurricane Harbor, there’s thousands of kids. And so it’s so awesome just to have a smaller community and not worry about my kids getting lost,” she said.

And the Lax children don’t mind. Tenneson even wanted to share his favorite part of the park.

“Slides… because it has water,” he said.

Other parents, Like Jacquelynn Jeffery, are just excited about the safety aspect of a spray park in general.

“I’m afraid of water, in the pools, and my kids around pools. So I love the water parks because I can just let them run and play and I can breathe better watching them play. Because I’m nervous around pools so jumping in, falling in, pushing, and playing, this is fine. And I’m so happy they brought it,” she said.

A thought some other parents, like Erica Johnson, second.

“I like it, because I don’t have to worry about anybody drowning,” she said.

While other parents, like Bianca Ramirez, opt for the park for their children.

“It’s something different for kids to enjoy. The smallest doesn’t really like swimming so I mean he likes water but doesn’t like swimming or getting in the pool so it’s something for him,” she said.

The spray ground is free to the public and is open for the summer season.

The began in 2015, and cost $2.5 million. The spray ground is a joint venture between the City and the Junior League of Odessa. The city adds that the runoff water will be recycled, and used to water the grass outside the attraction.