Martinsville Splash Pad Pushing for Labor Day Weekend Opening

City Council | August 26, 2026

Article Summary: Mayor Robert Lovell told the Martinsville City Council on Aug. 26, 2026, that the city is pushing to open its new splash pad early for at least Labor Day weekend, even though the concrete must cure four weeks before it can be painted. He also reported that the adjacent pickleball court was stained during splash pad construction and will be repaired, and that crews are ready to dig for a sand volleyball court next.

Martinsville Parks Projects Key Points:

Splash pad concrete must sit four weeks before painting; lights need adjusting and sun canopies have been added. The city is pushing for an early opening for at least Labor Day weekend.

Splash pad hours will match the hours of the park, Lovell said in response to a question from Alderman Ashley Wilhoit.

The pickleball court was stained by concrete during splash pad work and lost paint; repairs are planned and fencing is expected within two weeks.

The Martinsville Ag Fair has asked for a new Arts Hall that could double as an “events center” — a three-to-four-year plan, as Lovell described it.

MARTINSVILLE — Martinsville’s new splash pad is close enough to finished that the city is trying to get children into it before summer ends, Mayor Robert Lovell told the City Council on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, while acknowledging that the concrete still has to cure for a month before it can be painted.

Lovell reported during his portion of the meeting that the splash pad’s concrete has to sit for four weeks before painting, that the lights “just need to be adjusted,” in the minutes’ phrasing, and that sun canopies have been added. He said the city is pushing to have the facility opened early for at least Labor Day weekend.

Asked by Alderman Ashley Wilhoit whether hours of operation had been set, Lovell said yes — the splash pad’s hours will match the hours of the park.

Pickleball Court Damaged, Volleyball Court Next

The splash pad work left a mark on the neighboring pickleball court. Lovell reported that the court was stained by concrete during the splash pad project and that paint came off, and said it will be fixed. Fencing around the court is to be added in the next two weeks, he said, and the area is ready to till and seed “to beautify it.”

Crews are ready to dig for a sand volleyball court next, Lovell said. The minutes record no cost figure, contractor or timeline for the volleyball court, and none for the splash pad or the pickleball repairs.

Lovell also reported that summer concerts at Lynn Park have finished for the season, and that the city’s Block Party was set for the weekend following the meeting.

Ag Fair Seeks an “Events Center”

Looking further out, Lovell told the council that the Martinsville Ag Fair wants a new Arts Hall that could be used by the city and other organizations — something, as the minutes record it, “like an ‘events center.'” He said the hope is that the building would be big enough for two pickleball courts and a second-story walking path, and described it as a three-to-four-year plan.

The minutes record no estimated cost for the Arts Hall, no proposed site, no funding source and no requested city contribution. The council took no action on it, and the item was not on the published agenda.

Because the minutes and the agenda are the only records available for this meeting, the history behind the parks buildout is not documented here. The materials contain no construction contracts, no prior approvals and no project budget for the splash pad, the pickleball court or the planned volleyball court, and no city official is recorded giving a completion date beyond the Labor Day target.

One further parks item surfaced later in the meeting: Alderman Wendy Isbell reported on the city’s community garden, saying she would do it again and describing the season as a “half and half” outcome, with three-quarters of the plot done and ready to be tilled.