Minden to dedicate Splash Pad May 1

With a new monument, new bathrooms and a splash pad, Minden Park is expected to be ready for the season late next week.

Recently, the completion of a weather vane was celebrated by Minden Rotarians. Minden Rotary built the gazebo in 1984, which is observing its 35th year.

A ribbon cutting for the splash pad, which offers children a place to play in the water, is scheduled for 4:45 p.m. May 1.

A splash pad is a concrete surface with a variety of nozzles that spray water. It’s installation was approved last year.

But the biggest project is under the gazebo where the park’s bathrooms were renovated and made handicapped accessible.

The $174,000 project will improve the bathrooms, make them handicapped accessible and help shore up the structure.

Minden Town Board members have been planning work on the Gazebo since it was determined there were issues with its soundness, discovered when workers checked the structure to install the weather vane.

The gazebo is the second structure to occupy the center of Minden Park, which was included as a town square when the town was founded by H.F. Dangberg Jr. in 1906.

Originally irrigated from a ditch that passed by the park on County Road, it was common for town children to play in the water, according to Wynn Maule’s book, “Minden: The Story of a Unique Town.”

When the gazebo was replaced and the bathrooms placed underneath it, the park could no longer be irrigated and sprinklers were installed.

Former Rotarian John Hamer was the secretary-treasurer of the club when the project started. He estimated it cost the club $65,000 to complete the work.

“In those days there were no sidewalks, no bathrooms, nothing,” he said. “We had to put all that in.”

The gazebo was designed by architect Peter Wilday, who also designed the Carson Valley Inn and the old Coldwell Banker Itildo building.

The story is when Willday came before the Minden board for the CVI, Don Hellwinkel told him he would vote for the project if a set of plans were also prepared for the gazebo.