Webster Parish Tourism purchased the historic Miller Quarters property in 2022 with the idea of using it as an outdoor gathering space for social events. While some renovations have already been made to it, there are big plans in store for its future.
“We were brainstorming on next steps because we wanted to start applying for some grants,” said Serena Gray, executive director for Webster Parish Tourism.
Most of the grants, however, required a design plan with a materials and price list. They realized that they needed to get a design done before they could move forward with any other part of the project.
“Patrick and Rachel Miller have a close connection to the school of design at Louisiana Tech, and they said, ‘Why don’t we reach out to their students and see if we can make this a class project?’ And so, that’s exactly what we did.”
The professor and the students came out to Miller Quarters and walked the grounds, and heard Tourism’s vision for the park. And they did their homework on Minden, learning about things like the old saw mill and the brick streets. They also learned about some of the industry in Minden such as Fibrebond. The students came up with a plan that uses many of these elements: natural woods, steel, and brick.
Now that Tourism has a completed plan, they can start determining the costs and which parts to work on first.
“We haven’t discussed it as a group — and us working as a group will make this come together more efficiently — but, in my opinion, I think the first thing that should be built is probably the amphitheater. Having a covered stage in the downtown area and seating in that park would, I think, help people utilize it for festivals and events. And then next would be the restrooms, because there are no public restrooms downtown outside of facilities that are owned by the city.”
The plan includes three walking trails (normal, high-intensity, and connecting paths), a food truck / restroom pavilion located on Gleason Street, a playground with unique play structures, a double dog park (one section for small dogs and another for large dogs), an amphitheater with bench seating, a zip-line tower (this part would require a person be hired to work the ride), and a BMX bike path.
Everything is still in the initial planning stages, so don’t expect to see work beginning soon; however, if you or your company would be interested in sponsoring a section of the park and having your name attached to it, Gray is completely open to the idea.