Splash Pad Opens in Milbank

On Thursday, May 30, the sound of dozens of children screeching and laughing rippled through the air at the opening of the new splash pad in Hurley Park. The Milbank Area Chamber of Commerce (MAC) hosted the official ribbon cutting with Jamie Henderson, MAC’s executive director, and Cody Pohlen of Unity Health and Fitness doing the honors. Chamber board members, city staff, and Valley Queen staff also participated. Little squirts from local daycares and the OST program enjoyed running through the jets during the first session. 

Mother Nature behaved during the dedication ceremony by spitting just a few drops of  rain. Not long after, though, the skies opened up and poured down. Valley Queen was forced to cancel serving grilled cheese sandwiches. The weather, however, did not dampen the enthusiasm for the nearly 78-by-86-foot splash pad. Children continued to arrive in spurts during the afternoon to take their turns.

The splash pad has been in the works since 2022. The cost was estimated at nearly half a million dollars. The Flynn Estate and the Valley Queen Charitable Foundation (VQCF) financed the construction through the Heart of Milbank – a city fund that uses donated money to build local projects.

The splash pad is free to all visitors of the park. Parents are advised to note that similar to the other parks in Milbank, youth will not be supervised by park personnel. Hurley Park is located south of Milbank High School at 810 Jefferson Drive. It is also the home of Milbank’s ice skating rink. Restrooms are housed in the log cabin on the property.  A fence surrounds the splash pad.

The plan of operation for the splash pad calls for a season of 110 days. The pad is designed to spout intermittent cycles of 56 to 58-degree water throughout a 10-hour day. This amounts to roughly 11,000 gallons per day or 1.2 million gallons of water per season. These water-usage totals were determined by taking into account the splash pad is equipped with a sensor to shut off the water 15 minutes after the start button is pushed if the pad is not in use.