The City of Newburgh celebrated the grand opening of splash pads at Tyrone Crabb Park and Xavier Lunan Park to kick off the summer season on Friday, June 23. This now makes three splash pads in total, with the third one already located at Audrey Carey Park on Liberty Street. The splash pads in these parks will serve as a brief alternative to the long-awaited pool that the city council and city staff are working towards opening in 2025.

Tyrone Crabb Park, located at the corner of South and Grand Street across from Calvary Presbyterian Church, featured a splash pad site controlled by a button that included several underground spouts for the water along with a small tower of other spouts for water to come out and splash people.

City children wasted no time in pushing the buttons and enjoying the splash pads to cool them down following the ribbon cuttings, and Mayor Torrance Harvey allowed himself to get splashed to commemorate the occasion.

“I’m very happy about the splash pad that’s here [Tyrone Crabb Park] and the one that’s going to be at Xavier Lunan. I know that the community has wanted a swimming pool and we [city council and City of Newburgh] are working diligently on having that in 2025,” said Councilman Anthony Grice. “In the meantime, this is something that the community can enjoy at no cost to them. So I’m really looking forward to having kids, adults, everyone enjoy it.”

The Tyrone Crabb Park honors the late community leader who was elected mayor in 1999, but tragically died before taking office.

Xavier Lunan Park, at 66 Courtney Avenue in the Heights, honors the life and memory of Xavier Lunan, a tragic victim of child abuse who died December 21, 1999 at the age of three.

Andrew Krigsman, older brother of Xavier, stood besides Mayor Harvey as they cut the ribbon to reopen the park.

“I’m overwhelmed. I’m speechless and these few words I can muster up is nothing but appreciation for the community, the City of Newburgh, everyone that was involved in shining a positive light on a beautiful boy that was taken too soon,” said Krigsman. “To see a community like this come together in a park, surround themselves in positive light, is really what we are looking for.”

Krigsman was only 4 at the time of his brother’s murder, entered into foster care and was adopted by a family in Washingtonville. Now 28, Krigsman is working towards creating a not for profit organization to assist and support children that have suffered from the effects, situations and aftermaths of domestic violence. His hope is to take 97 Overlook Place and rebuild it into a shelter for children. In honor of his brother, Krigsman is also the proud father of his three year old son named Hudson Xavier Krigsman.

“I think that this park represents breaking the cycle, breaking the cycle of domestic violence, breaking the cycle of ignorance, breaking the cycle of being scared, to become involved in your community, to address the issues that might not affect you directly, but affect your neighbors. This is so much more of a community effort,” said Krigsman. “I appreciate and I want to thank and continue to believe in Newburgh.”