Danville’s brand new splash pad has opened just in the nick of time, before autumn overtakes summer.

On Thursday afternoon, kids wearing bathing suits, shorts and T-shirts gathered anxiously around city officials for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Just a second after the ribbon was cut, they ran over to the large, bright yellow button on top of a blue pole and pushed it to launch the splash pad into action.

There were a few seconds of no water spraying from anywhere, and everyone looked around in dismay. “Somebody didn’t pay the water bill!” an adult in the crowd shouted jokingly.

Actually, the children hadn’t pushed the button hard enough.

In no time at all, water was spraying, pulsing and splashing all over the area and the kids were squealing with delight.

Lisa Hill, who was at the splash pad with her daughter, Maya, said, “I never thought Danville would have anything like this! I love this park. Now we don’t have to go somewhere else,” to play in the water on hot days, she said. “Now we can stay in Danville, and it’s free! It’s such a blessing.”

The water features are located at the city’s Lexington Avenue Park on the grounds of Coldiron-Watkins Water Treatment Plant.

City Engineer John Cassel said the water is programmed to stay on for five minutes, but quickly cycles on again when one of the two large yellow buttons are pushed, which are located at each end of the splash pad.

He also said the water isn’t recycled like pool water. It’s fresh and clean straight from the water plant.

“If kids want to drink it, it will be OK,” Cassel said.