Changes planned for park

SANBORN-The playground equipment at Miller Park in Sanborn is nearing the 25-year mark.

“It’s showing its age,” said Sanborn city administrator Jim Zeutenhorst.

Yes it is.

The metal swing chains, which once beamed a sparkling silver, have aged to rust, while the paint colors on the two merry-go-rounds bear almost no resemblance to the bright hues that once gleamed in the sunlight.

But, come mid-July, all of that will change.

The 129-acre park will instead feature two playground areas — one for younger children and one for older children — both of which will feature a variety of different slides and fort areas, among a climbing wall and climbing wave for those who are more adventurous.

Funding for the $40,000 worth of playground equipment has been acquired mostly through donations; however, Zeutenhorst said the city did receive a $3,500 grant from the O’Brien County Community Foundation.

Zeutenhorst and city clerk Becki Hurtig, along with the rest of the city staff will assist the park board and volunteers in assembling the equipment in July after it arrives from Little Tikes Commercial Play Systems Inc. in Farmington, MO.

But, that’s not the only upgrade Miller Park will see this summer.

The two baseball and softball diamonds within the park are encircled with dilapidated fencing and feature graffiti-bearing scoreboards.

So, by the end of June, Michael’s Fence Co. in Sioux Falls, SD will replace the worn fencing and Daktronics in Ankeny will put in two new scoreboards.

Because of the improvements, which will cost the city a combined total of $15,500 — $8,500 for the fencing and $7,000 for the scoreboards — Hurtig said Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Middle School will play its baseball and softball games at the fields, something that has never been done before.

Zeutenhorst said the city also is looking into covering half of the two-and-a-half mile nature and recreational trail at Miller Park with concrete.

“The trail started out as asphalt in the early 1980s. Two years ago, we resurfaced half of it by pouring concrete over it,” he said. “We’re looking into containing bids for a possible fall construction to resurface the other half with concrete.”

The park also features a nine-hole disc golf course, 19 camping sites with full hookups, a shelter house, sand volleyball courts, horseshoe pits and Sanborn Golf & Country Club. The club features a full-service steakhouse and lounge along with a nine-hole golf course that has two sets of tee boxes for each hole, providing a unique experience for those wanting to play two rounds.

Miller Park gets its fair share of use, but Hurtig and Zeutenhorst both agreed that once the improvements are made, even more people will be drawn to the recreation area.
This article appeared in the May 16, 2009 edition of The N'West Iowa REVIEW.