Cities owe kids place to cool off

Yes, there is crime in the streets. Yes, our poor must be fed. But shouldn’t a community of 25,000 and up be capable of giving its children a place to cool off during the summer?

East St. Louis just got the splash pad operating on July 15 at Jones Park in East St. Louis. Summer is half over, and this is only the second time the pad has been open since it was built in 1997.

East St. Louis Parks District Director Irma Golliday said the splash pad is about a $7,000 annual expense, funded this year with part of a United Way grant. It cost $550,000 to build nearly 20 years ago.

Yes, that’s some change; but not much compared to the population size and benefit.

Which brings us to Belleville. No splash pad. No pool. No public-private partnership on an aquatics center in a city of 42,500.

But if the kiddos can hold out until December, they can cool off at the nice sledding hill where the Belleville Pool used to be.

This story was originally published August 2, 2015 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Cities owe kids place to cool off."