A ribbon cutting has been held for the new Norma Jean Somers Splash Pad in Coloma.

The splash pad is named for the late Norma Jean Somers, a community leader who served the city for decades. Her daughter, Laura Somers Ginter, tells us this is a great way to honor her mom.

“My mother had recently passed away and we wanted to do something in the community as well, and I had a conversation with Marsha Hammond, the mayor of Coloma, and it really snowballed from there and we helped raise the initial funding in about three months,” Somers Ginter said.

And Ginter says that’s how the new attraction came to be named for her mother.

The project is a result of a master plan adopted in May of 2021. Efforts to raise funds for the pad were announced in March of 2023 with the idea of giving young people a great place to cool off during the summer, right in the heart of Randall Park.

With the project now complete, Ginter says it’s pretty impressive.

“There’s about six different stations that, some are wheelchair accessible, good for toddlers and children, and then some for bigger kids. And so it’s just a really nice, large space to play, get wet.”

The splash pad cost about $190,000 and gives Coloma, a city not on the Lake Michigan coast, a watery attraction of its own. No taxpayer money went into the project.

With the splash pad now open, everyone’s invited to come and get wet, dry off playing in the playground, and then get wet again.