Kent tries to keep water fountain at Town Square Plaza running

The Town Square Plaza Fountain in Kent has been providing refreshment and entertainment for children for 15 years.

But with that age came the necessary operational testing and regular closures of the popular fountain in the city park, 426 W. Smith St.

“The Town Square Plaza water fountain presents a complex challenge that we grapple with every year,” Julie Parascondola, director of City Parks, said in an email. “The fountain was originally built and installed with the park in 2009, but is now 15 years old, outdated, and beyond its functional life cycle, making it very difficult to source and obtain parts.”

City Parks maintenance staff does everything they can to keep the fountain running.

“Our talented maintenance staff has worked tirelessly each year to repair it and keep it largely functional for our residents, because we understand how important access to water is to our community,” Parascondola said. “Due to the many mechanical and other issues, Kent Parks must be manually operated and monitored, requiring maintenance staff to be on site at all times to ensure we are complying with chemical and water quality regulations, which puts a strain on service levels elsewhere.”

City Parks announced on July 22 that the fountain will be open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. through the end of August, but will be closed on Mondays.

“We’ve been able to get it up and running now,” Parascondola said. “However, we encourage the community to check our website and/or Kent Parks social media pages before heading down with the swimsuits and the family, just to make sure it hasn’t broken again.”

And if the staff blocks the fountain, they do everything they can to get it going again as quickly as possible.

“Rest assured, staff continues to work on solutions to ensure we can continue to use this feature,” Parascondola said.

Spray ground is coming

City Parks staff plans to open Kent’s first water play park in 2026 at Uplands Playfield in the city center, 836 W. Smith St.

“We have been working behind the scenes for some time to provide a new and better alternative for our residents, and I am pleased to announce that we are actively planning for Kent’s first water spray park,” said Parascondola.

The Parks Staff planning team recently began public engagement for this project. Residents can visit engagekentparks.com and share their thoughts on what they want to see at the new spray ground.

“The majority of 2025 will be spent on design and permitting, which is an extensive process with King County Public Health due to water quality and other important regulations,” Parascondola said. “If there are no unforeseen issues, we hope to begin construction on the new spray ground in 2026.”