The REC Center employees faced a dramatic change in their day-to-day work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With having to remain closed due to social distancing measures that were imposed by the Government, the REC Center used that time to give some much-needed care and attention to some of the recreational areas around Minden, one of the places being Ewell Park.
“Ewell Park was way past due for a facelift. I’ve noticed this for the past 15 months that I’ve been in office and was waiting for the opportunity for the funds to be available to do a facelift,” said Minden Mayor Terry Gardner.
This facelift includes painting, new gutters, some additional landscaping, improving the multi-purpose room, changing the ceiling tiles, and putting new signage on the park itself.
“With the COVID-19 crisis, myself along with the Recreation Director Rocke Musgraves and Assistant Director Michael Aguilar, these individuals out there were able to stay on payroll along with our part-time employees and they have undergone a lot of painting,” said Gardner.
“They have done a lot of painting at the recreation complex itself, all the offices, foyers, concession stands. They painted the inside of the forestry building, and now we’re working on Ewell park.
They have done an amazing job. I didn’t know we had so many qualified painters who worked for the city.”
The gutters that have been replaced were funded by the Mayor himself as his personal contribution to the project. TG Companies is also supplying the trees and the landscaping for the facility.
“When COVID-19 is over we’re going to have a grand re-opening of Ewell again. It’s something that the neighborhood and the citizens can be proud of, and we’re excited to have done this during the COVID-19 crisis with our employees and staff that we’ve had on hand,” said Gardner.
