Happy Park and Recreation Month! Every July, we join the National Recreation and Park Association in celebrating the professionals who make our public spaces beautiful, fun, and safe. This year's theme reveals the power of what connects us — and we can't think of a better lens for looking at the municipal spaces we're proud to be part of.
Parks and recreation are where relationships grow, play fuels joy, communities heal, nature restores, everyone feels valued, and well-being takes root. From neighborhood splash pads to year-round recreation centers across the country, here are six municipal projects that bring each of those powers to life, with cushioned, slip-resistant surfacing underfoot every step of the way.
The Power of Connection
Kings Forest Splash Pad — Tampa, Florida
Parks and recreation are where relationships grow, cultures meet, and communities bond, and that starts with free, welcoming spaces close to home. At Kings Forest Park, a five-acre Hillsborough County park offering free community access to a basketball court, open field, and playground, a new splash pad now gives neighbors one more reason to gather
Life Floor Studio designed the 1,263-square-foot surface in a layered palette of Aqua, Aviator, Ocean, Seafoam, and Turquoise, bringing movement, depth, and bright aquatic energy to the space. Installed in June 2025 by Baynum Amusement Solutions, a Life Floor Registered Aquatic Partner, our 3/8" Ripple 2.0 Hexagon tiles provide a cushioned, slip-resistant surface built for the everyday connections that happen when families cool off side by side.
The Power of Play:
Wet Zone Waterpark — Rowlett, Texas
From playgrounds to programs, play fuels creativity, joy, and lifelong learning. Just northeast of Dallas, the City of Rowlett's Wet Zone Waterpark has been a summer tradition since 2001, and its brand-new splash pad shows what happens when play is designed for everyone.
The Waterplay Design Team anchored the 3,000-square-foot splash pad with a bold red, white, and blue palette, brought underfoot with Life Floor tiles in Pomegranate, Submariner, and Porcelain. Sweeping custom-cut curves flow between high-energy features like the towering Toro and Spiral Tunnel and gentler, low-sensory elements designed for younger guests, uniting them into one cohesive play environment for guests of all ages and abilities. Installed by Landmark Aquatic and opened in June 2025, the splash pad quickly became a crowd favorite and earned "Most Patriotic" honors in our Top Projects of 2025.
The Power of Community:
Sgt. Paul Tuozzolo Memorial Splash Pad — Huntington, New York
Public spaces offer room for everyone to gather, celebrate, and heal. Few projects embody that more deeply than the Town of Huntington's first spray park, built at Elwood Park to memorialize Sgt. Paul Tuozzolo, who was killed in the line of duty in 2016.
Featuring dump buckets, spray hoops, nearby benches, and a memorial trellis, the splash pad gives visiting loved ones a place to honor Sgt. Tuozzolo's dedication to family and community while the children of Huntington play and grow together. Pools, parks, and recreation spaces aren't just resources a community uses; they're often what builds and brings a community together, in celebration and in healing alike.
The Power of Nature:
Lake Mohegan Splash Pad — Fairfield, Connecticut
Nature restores and inspires us, and parks ensure everyone can access its benefits. At Lake Mohegan, the Town of Fairfield's splash pad sits beside the lakeshore, so when it came time to replace the aging brushed concrete surface that was causing slips and injuries, the design needed to honor its natural setting.
“Life Floor has been wonderful for our community! Kids have jumped with excitement, and no falls have taken place.”
The nearly 2,400-square-foot transformation, completed in November 2024 by Headwater Construction Group, features a curated palette of water-inspired colors from our Lagoon Theme in Aviator, Bluebird, Ocean, Seafoam, and Turquoise, creating an immersive aquatic environment that complements the landscape around it.
Before: Brushed Concrete
After: Life Floor
The Power of Belonging:
Rotary Splash Island at Sammy Haggard Park — Danielsville, Georgia
Welcoming parks and programs make every person feel valued, and every community deserves that chance, regardless of budget. That's the spirit behind our annual Make a SPLASH! Grant Contest, which awards a municipality or non-profit organization an all-expenses-paid splash pad surface each year.
Madison County, Georgia, won the 2022 contest, bringing new life to Rotary Splash Island at Sammy Haggard Park. The county chose our Under the Sea theme, featuring a triangle gradient pattern in our Lagoon Theme with Sea Life and Marine Inlays in bright, contrasting colors like Limelight, Sunshine, Goldfish, Platypus, and Aqua. Inside Edge Safety Surfaces completed the 2,055-square-foot installation in March 2023, giving this deserving community a splash pad where every resident belongs.
The Power of Well-Being:
New Ulm Recreation Center — New Ulm, Minnesota
Parks and recreation advance health, resilience, and shared community benefits year-round, in every season. In New Ulm, Minnesota, the New Ulm Family Recreation Center keeps the whole community moving: lap swimmers share the water with a NinjaCross obstacle course that lowers into the pool, a rock climbing wall rises from one corner, a dual waterslide feeds into the zero-depth entry where toddlers splash under a water umbrella, and a hot tub offers a place to relax and take it all in.
Life Floor's NSF/ANSI/CAN 50-certified surfacing ties the entire 6,618-square-foot indoor pool deck together with a budget-friendly, three-color design in Ocean, Bluebird, and Aviator. Bands of full-sized square tiles create a striped gradient that doubles as subtle play; kids follow the paths and hop color to color, while keeping a clean, modern feel for adults. With added slip resistance and cushioning underfoot, guests of all ages can pursue health and recreation more safely and enjoy the experience more freely.
Here's to the People Behind the Power
The powers of connection, play, community, nature, belonging, and well-being don't happen by accident. They happen because parks and recreation professionals dream up spaces where everyone is welcome and then do the hard work of building, maintaining, and championing them, season after season.
To every parks and rec team transforming aquatic spaces for guests of all ages and abilities:
Thank you. We're honored to be part of your story.
Happy Park and Recreation Month from Life Floor!