As the weather continues to warm up, cooling off will become alittle easier as the locks come off the city’s spray parks today -two days earlier than expected.

“We’re going to go ahead and open it up a few days (earlier),the weather’s suppose to be nice,” said Recreation DepartmentDirector Terry Reid said the decision to open the parks Fridayinstead of May 1.

The spray parks, located at Bicentennial Park on Main Street andCity Park behind Lipsey Attendance Center, will be open seven daysa week from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.

“By 7 p.m. they should be in bed, plus they’re inneighborhoods,” said Reid.

Closing the parks at a reasonable hour will help ensure thosesplashing around will not disturb those trying to settle down forthe evening.

Reid said the spray systems appear to be in working order and nopipes seemed to be broken after the harsh winter Brookhavenrecently suffered.

The director said those typically running around the spray gunsor standing under the dump buckets tend to be around to eight tonine years of age, but if it gets hot enough everyone likes to cooloff.

“After schools out, it’s every age you can imagine,” said Reid.”They’re used pretty much all day every day.”

While safety is always a concern, Reid said there have been veryfew incidents of trouble reported. He said the water is only ableto get a few inches deep and if there are any problems at all it isusually from the accidental collisions caused when bigger kidssometimes play around the littler ones.

“That’s playgrounds,” said Reid.

Each spray park offers a few spray guns and buckets that dumpwater onto those trying to beat the summer heat. The attractionsare operated by the simple push of a button, which will allow waterto run through the system for about five to 10 minutes at atime.

“That’s basically to stop someone from starting it and walkingaway for two hours,” said Reid.

After its first year of operation, Reid said most of thewatering activity took place in Bicentennial Park. The park on MainStreet offers a little bit more for children to do.

“They’ll go out there, swing and go back and forth,” saidReid.

The spray parks are welcome additions to two beautiful parksresidents in Homeseekers Paradise regularly take advantage of. Reidmentioned many visitors to Brookhaven and locals talk of how muchthey enjoy the city’s parks.

“We have the nicest parks in Southwest Mississippi,” hesaid.