On November 2, 2021, the city council voted to approve the construction of the splash pad, in Trailside park, starting the spring of 2022, using non-levied tax funds.

Several years ago our town (Pequot Lakes) received an anonymous donation to build two additions to Trailside park. The flag display, which was erected in 2019 and a splash pad. Unfortunately, over the years, the splash pad has been very controversial. Mainly because it has been tied to other, large, costly and unpopular projects that included removal of roads and tax levies.

When Mayor Gardner was elected in 2020 he made it clear that he was going to get aging agenda items resolved. He was not going to table these hot topics for another 2 years. When it came to the splash pad, he along with council members and a team of city employees, gathered bids and spoke with the splash pad contractor. Two city council meetings and a community Town Hall meeting were held to discuss the findings of the project research.

Our city is growing and so is our school population. Our K-12 and Early Childhood programs keep expanding to meet the needs of the student population. We are also near the Greater Minnesota region which sadly, has many low income neighborhoods. The splash pad would offer another free park amenity for those to have access to a safe water activity. Promoting healthy living starts by having access to areas such as city parks. A place to run, play and gather with other members of our community. 

On November 2, 2021, the city council voted to approve the construction of the splash pad, in Trailside park, starting the spring of 2022, using non-levied tax funds.

Community Action of Pequot Lakes (non-profit 501c3) has offered to host our funds for us, so that donations can be tax deductible for our patrons.

It goes without saying that visitors will be attracted to our beautiful town in part due to our new addition to the park. However, our goals of this project are to construct the splash pad for the residents of Pequot Lakes and our surrounding neighbors as well as mend the gap that has occurred over the years regarding the splash pad.