Recreation officials hope some young patrons at North Natchez Park will have a way to cool off by the end of the summer.

The City of Natchez received official word of a $50,000 Community Development Block Grant Monday to help pay for a water playground at the park. The city’s portion of the estimated $124,600 project will come from in-kind work and cash from its public properties fund, said Mayor Larry L. &uot;Butch&uot; Brown.

The Mississippi Department of Economic and Community Development awarded the grant.

&uot;We’re very pleased that we’re going to be able to build this water playground at North Natchez Park,&uot; said city Recreation Director Ralph Tedder.

The &uot;Sprayground,&uot; as the water playground is called, is a series of computer-controlled water sprays installed in a flat surface splash pad. The computer controls the sprays at random intervals, so children never know when one will turn on. There will not be an admission fee to use the Sprayground.

Brown said he hopes the city can begin work on the project as quickly as possible. Tedder estimated that the project could get under way by June, with completion perhaps by the end of the summer.

Unlike an outdoor swimming pool, which is open about two months of the year, the Sprayground can be open seven to eight months of the year.

Tedder said he would still like to see the city contribute funds to a new swimming pool, possibly in partnership with Adams County and with the Natchez-Adams School District.

&uot;This is not a replacement for a pool,&uot; Tedder said of the Sprayground. &uot;This is a way to have a playground where you can get wet.&uot;

Tedder estimated the cost of building a pool at more than $1 million.

Brown said that because the Sprayground at North Natchez&160;Park will not need supervision — such as a lifeguard — parents don’t have to accompany their children to the park.

&uot;This is a good project,&uot;&160;he said. &uot;That neighborhood has a large number of small children who love to play in water and those kinds of playground environments.&uot;

Tedder said that the Sprayground will eventually be an asset to the recreation department’s summer day camp, which is housed at North Natchez Park.

But the Sprayground is not likely to be completed for this summer’s day camp, he said.