UPDATE (11:25 a.m. 05/08): Tucson Parks & Recreation announced via its social media platforms that the splash pad at "Gunny" Barreras Memorial Park is back open following vandalism over the weekend.
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If you were wanting to take your kids to the splash pad at CSM Martin R. "Gunny" Barreras Memorial Park on the Southside, you're going to have to wait.
City of Tucson Parks and Recreation put up chains and signs, keeping the splash pad closed due to vandalism.
According to Tucson Parks and Rec, drainage grates were stolen.
A statement was posted on the Parks and Rec Facebook saying in part, "We understand how important this space is for families, especially during the warmer months, and our team is working hard to assess the damage and plan for repairs."
Bianca Kleese took her four kids to "Gunny" Barreras Memorial Park Sunday afternoon to use the splash pad and was not expecting to see the gates shut.
“We got our bags ready. We got our chairs. We didn’t care if it was a windy day. We want to go have fun," Kleese said.
Rya, Kleese's 7-year-old daughter, couldn’t believe someone would do such a thing.
“I was sad as a blue moon," Rya said. "People are not supposed to do that. They will ruin people’s fun," Rya said.
Kleese is also questioning why anyone would harm this public space.
“I don’t think it’s fair, like kiddos love to play all the time. Why? It’s, it’s sad. It is cause we can't go play now. We have to wait till it's cleaned up," Kleese said.
So instead of playing in the water, the Kleese family had a good time on the playground, and say they look forward to the splash pad reopening.
Tucson Parks and Rec says the splash pad at "Gunny" Barreras Memorial Park will be closed until further notice.
You can stay up to date on the reopening and find other locations with splash pads here.
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Vanessa Gongora is KGUN 9's Westside reporter.. Vanessa fell in love with storytelling by growing up in sports. She was fascinated by how sports reporters go beyond the x's & o's to tell players' stories, and how sports bring people together, inspiring Vanessa to provide the same impact as a journalist. Share your story ideas and important issues with Vanessa by emailing vanessa.gongora@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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