Friday afternoon was the grand opening of the renovated ACT Park on 4th Avenue North East and Ashford Street in Swift Current.

The public have been enjoying the accessible park since last summer, but due to 2016's weather, the grand opening was finally able to take place and not be cancelled due to mother nature.

The city's recreation and scheduling superintendent for community services, Nicole Spenst, said on Friday she was thrilled to have the opening.

"It's been so exciting. This is our kick-off week with our summer parks play programs," she said. "We're really excited to be here with all the participants of our parks play program to celebrate this grand opening, and we are loving the weather. Definitely encouraging everyone to take some hydration breaks. But loving being able to be out here in the spray parks and playing and taking part in all the activities."

The park has been open for decades, and back in the late 1990s had a swing for a wheelchair. Things have improved drastically, though, as the playground area now features a soft, wheelchair-friendly pour-in-place rubber surface.

A two-phase renovation plan most recently saw a parking lot added so people can unload their cars with more safety than on a street with a decent flow of traffic.

Six-year-old Madison Lawrence uses a wheelchair, and her mother Meaghan Lawrence said the park has been great for them.

"It's lots of fun. A lot of that new structure she can access with a wheelchair, and it's easy enough to get out and climb around like every other kid too. She loves it," said Meaghan. "I love the pathways from the parking lot to the spray park to the washrooms to the play structure, it's so easy to get around and it's a nice place to come visit with our family."

Meaghan said having an accessible park isn't just for kids, but for adults that want to join them too.

"Accessibility, of course with our daughter using a wheelchair, it's a top-of-mind issue for us, and I think it should be for any community really when you look at the statistics that one in seven Canadians over the age of 15 has a disability," she said. "Think of how many people in your community that impacts. It's not only kids, but parents that might have disabilities that want to come enjoy this park with their kids."

The park was a busy site on Friday, as usual, as people enjoyed chips and water, a number of games, and a slip 'n slide.

The total cost of the upgrades - which included the new playground structure with the pour-in-place surface, concrete sidewalks and retaining walls, a new building, new parking lot and additional tree planting - was about $575,000. The ACT Club donated $10,000 over a 10-year span, and the federal government contributed a grant of $25,000.