RICHTON, Miss.—More than two weeks after Richton’s splash pad opened to the public, town officials have released additional information about the project’s operations, funding and construction timeline. 

The splash pad, located at 500 Front St., officially opened June 1. Town officials said weather delayed a planned May 26 opening by several days. 

Mayor Bo Ruffin said the splash pad is scheduled to operate Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. The town says the schedule may change because of holidays, weather or staffing issues. 

Admission is $5 per person for either the morning or afternoon session or $10 for a full-day pass. Children age 4 and younger are admitted free. The town accepts card payments only, and a card-processing fee applies. 

Rules for the splash pad are posted at the facility. The town notes that operating hours may vary and that “if the gate is open then we are open.” 

Ruffin said admission fees help cover electricity, chlorination, water use, maintenance, landscaping, staffing and future improvements to the facility. 

A tan shed with a white door and service window stands beside the entrance area of the Richton splash pad.
A newly added shed sits outside the Richton splash pad entrance. The building will house staff responsible for collecting admission fees from visitors. Photo by Sami Jordan

Ruffin said the town charges admission to help cover operating expenses associated with the splash pad. Nearby Petal uses a different funding model, with a 3% tax on restaurants, hotels and bars helping fund parks and recreation projects, including the city’s splash pad. 

Ruffin said the splash pad uses about 1,000 gallons of treated water per hour while operating. At approximately seven hours a day, five days a week, that amounts to about 35,000 gallons weekly, or roughly 140,000 gallons over four weeks. Town officials also provided additional details about delays that affected the project’s timeline. 

“The initial contractor filed for bankruptcy shortly after the bid award and then the project transitioned to the bonding company which takes due diligence and is very time consuming,” the town said in a written response to RHCJC News. “In turn this then pushed us into the last quarter of an election year with restrictions on last-quarter spending.” 

Red and white sign titled “Town of Richton Splash Pad Rules” listing visitor requirements, prohibited activities and weather-related safety policies.
A sign at the Richton splash pad lists admission prices. Morning and afternoon passes cost $5 each, and the facility accepts card payments only. Photo by Sami Jordan

The town also said rain, lightning and storms delayed the splash pad’s planned Memorial Day opening after earlier construction delays postponed the project by more than a year. 

“We wanted to open on May 26, but the rain, lightning and storms prohibited us from this,” the town said. 

White sign with red lettering listing Richton splash pad admission prices, card-only payment requirements and a no-refunds-due-to-weather policy.
A sign at the Richton splash pad outlines rules for visitors, including supervision requirements, prohibited items and activities, weather-related safety policies, and penalties for violations. Photo by Sami Jordan

Despite the delays, Ruffin said the town spent 12 to 14 years saving money for park improvements and did not use grants to construct the splash pad. 

Town of Richton Board of Aldermen meeting minutes show officials discussing the splash pad project as early as Nov. 5, 2024. Town meeting minutes show the board approved engineering fees related to the project in November 2024, discussed construction progress in December 2024 and approved additional splash pad-related payments during 2025.

This article first appeared on RHCJC and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Sami, a native of Mobile, Alabama, and a recent graduate of Jones College, will enroll at The University of Southern Mississippi as a digital journalism major in fall 2025.

Whitney is a dedicated journalist and a proud graduate of The University of Southern Mississippi, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism. Growing up in south Mississippi, she began her career at WDAM, working as a digital and broadcast producer with a focus on investigative journalism.

Her work took her to Albany, Georgia, where she served as a multi-platform content editor, leading special projects that highlighted important community stories. From there, she transitioned into leadership roles in Dothan, Alabama, as assistant news director and later news director, guiding news teams and ensuring impactful storytelling.

Whitney’s commitment to journalism has earned her numerous awards, including recognition for her investigative work, an international award for a civil rights project and accolades for her contributions to a cold case documentary.

Now, as managing editor of the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center, Whitney is excited to be back at her alma mater, where she fulfills her passion for mentoring young journalists and helping them grow into thoughtful, responsible reporters who are dedicated to serving their communities.

The Roy Howard Community Journalism Center, housed at The University of Southern Mississippi, is dedicated to enhancing the media landscape in southeast Mississippi by prioritizing impactful, issue-oriented, and people-centered reporting.

In addition to providing original reporting, we also aim to improve media literacy efforts among the citizens of southeast Mississippi. To that end, we host free, public media literacy trainings and awareness events. We also operate a “What is True?” service, where the public can submit disinformation and misinformation questions—through a special hotline, web form, or an email address—for us to research, investigate, and answer.