Discussions about transferring ownership of the property known as Griffith Stadium to the Webster Parish School Board (WPSB) date back decades. After all, they are the primary entity that uses the facility; it’s the stadium where Minden High School’s baseball team plays its home games. On April 23, those discussions turned into action, as the City of Minden and the Webster Parish School Board agreed to a mutually beneficial arrangement through joint cooperation.
“Griffith Stadium has historically been owned by the City of Minden and used mainly by the Webster Parish School Board, specifically Minden High School. Meanwhile, the City of Minden’s water well and water plant are located at the Clerk Street site, which is owned by the school board,” said Mayor Nick Cox during the city council meeting where the motion was passed.
The Minden City Council and Webster Parish School Board both approved the property swap back in March. Previously, the City of Minden owned Griffith Stadium, which was primarily used by Minden High School, while the WPSB owned the property where the city’s water plant is located on Clerk Street. This swap allows each party to take ownership of the property they actively use.
The City of Minden plans to decommission the current plant and replace it with a 2-million-gallon-capacity water tank, which will help expand the city’s water service coverage.
The signing of the documents took place at Kitchens Law Firm, with Mayor Nick Cox representing the City of Minden and Superintendent Johnny Rowland representing the Webster Parish School Board. After signing the documents, the two governing bodies finalized the property swap, demonstrating their ability to cooperate and bring about positive change.