The old splash pad in downtown Vicksburg is no more and that is a good thing.

The pad was closed for almost a month this summer, from June 30 to July 26, while city workers installed rebuilt pumps and filter motors.

Then once those repairs were made, broken pipes caused more water to flow into the street than onto the pad.

The old concrete has been ripped up and now the Board of Mayor and Aldermen is working on putting a new pad in place.

The board Wednesday authorized city clerk Walter Osborne to advertise for bids to build the new pad. “The demolition (of the old pad) is complete and we are ready to get a bidder on board and get it built,” city attorney Nancy Thomas said.

The splash pad is a very popular attraction for children looking to cool off as temperatures rise during the summer.

South Ward Alderman Alex Monsour, who is over recreation for the city, has said he wants the new pad completed when the summer season opens in May and hopefully that will come to fruition.

Landscape Services, a Tupelo-based landscape architect firm, was hired in December for $7,500 to design and prepare the specifications for a new splash pad, but there is no estimate yet of what the new pad will cost.

Investing in a new pad is a good decision for the board as it continues to work to make downtown a destination for families who live here and visitors coming to town.