Hwaseong Special City Operates "Picnic Zone" at Dongtan Yeoul Park International Artists' Garden

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] Hwaseong Special City announced on the 16th that it will temporarily operate a "Picnic Zone," a designated shade structure area, from this month through September to enhance convenience for citizens visiting the Water Ribbon (stream-type water play facility) at Dongtan Yeoul Park's International Artists' Garden during summer and create a pleasant park environment.

The Water Ribbon at Dongtan Yeoul Park is a representative summer rest space operated annually from May through September and is a water play facility visited by many citizens. The International Artists' Garden is a space designed by renowned American landscape architect Kathryn Gustafson, created to allow visitors to fully experience the beauty of nature through expansive open space and panoramic views in harmony with the natural environment of Banseok Mountain.

The city has managed minimal facility installations to maintain the design intent. However, as private shade structures have been restricted in the park, citizen complaints about inconvenience have continued.

In response, the city has decided to reflect citizen opinions and temporarily permit shade structure installation in designated areas of the park to secure rest spaces for Water Ribbon users and prepare for extreme heat.

Additionally, to enhance user convenience, the water play facility operation schedule has been adjusted from the existing "40 minutes operation, 20 minutes rest" to a "45 minutes operation, 15 minutes rest" system.

Water Ribbon operating hours are noon to 5:45 p.m. in May, June, and September, and noon to 8:45 p.m. in July and August. The facility is closed every Thursday for maintenance.

The Picnic Zone will be created in a section of the Water Ribbon spanning approximately 900 square meters and will operate from June through September. Operating hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and only small shade structures with dimensions of 2 meters or less in both length and width can be installed. It is estimated that approximately 100 shade structures can be installed in the designated area.

The city plans to restrict shade structure installation outside the permitted area for citizen safety and smooth facility use, and will deploy two staff members on-site to manage traffic flow and facility protection.