Pahrump is readying to celebrate the grand opening of its first splash pad.

After years of working toward the valley’s first splash pad, the town of Pahrump is finally set for its Simkins Park Splash Pad Grand Opening but it’s not all a ray of sunshine.

While some may be excited to frolic in the cool spray, others are expressing disappointment and even safety concerns over the town’s newest recreational facility.

“The town of Pahrump is excited to announce the official ribbon-cutting and grand opening ceremony for the brand-new Splash Pad at Simkins Park. Please join us as we celebrate this wonderful new addition to our community,” Nye County Public Communications Manager Arnold Knightly said in a news release issued on Friday, July 17. “It is a great opportunity to beat the heat, bring the family and see the new facility in action. We look forward to celebrating with you there!”

The town originally went out to bid for this project in 2024, but the bids submitted were what Pahrump Buildings and Grounds Manager Jimmy Martinez described as “outrageous”. This led to a revision of the scope of the project and another round of bidding but again, the price came in too high.

Another retooling finally resulted in the awarding of the project contract in the summer of last year. That contract went to Great Western Installations in the amount of $299,349.32 via a contract already in place with another governmental entity, the city of Charlotte, North Carolina.

The splash pad project called for a 1,500 square-foot facility to include a raining post and several ground features, such as arching ground sprays, spider ground sprays and geyser ground sprays, along with an aqua bubbler. To ensure water usage will be kept to a minimum, a filtration system with a 3,000-gallon tank has been installed. In addition, bollards have been installed along the driveway fronting the splash pad, which itself has been wrapped around three sides with a concrete wall topped by fencing. Two benches and a trash receptacle have also been placed.

A $50,000 T-Mobile Hometown Grant has been used to partially fund the project, with the remaining cost covered by the town’s Capital Improvement Fund. It is important to note that the town’s budget is separate from Nye County’s.

One thing that is not part of the splash pad as of yet, however, is the shade structure that Pahrump Mothers Corner raised $5,000 to help provide and members of that Facebook group were at the Nye County Commission’s latest meeting to demand answers as to why. Several others also spoke at the meeting, criticizing everything from the appearance of the facility to its size and inclusion of concrete structures.

“Today, as we approach the grand opening of this project, we’re left asking, ‘What happened?’” one public commenter, Pahrump Mothers Corner Co-Administrator Heather Marquez, told the board on Tuesday. “And more importantly, ‘Where did the money go?’ As there is no shade to be seen…

“The plans presented to the public showed a welcoming community space where families could gather and children could play safely. The project that is scheduled for its ribbon cutting this Friday appears dramatically different from what the public was shown and many families feel blindsided by those changes,” Marquez went on to state. “And beyond the appearance, many parents have legitimate questions about safety… Parents are concerned about the lack of impact-absorbing surfacing in an area designed specifically for young children…”

“It’s not as beautiful as Las Vegas, of course, but we don’t have their money. We tried to make it as best as we could with the money that we had,” Martinez responded as he did his best to address the public’s questions and concerns. “We blocked it off so we don’t have kids running all over the place… and also a second benefit of having the brick structure is to protect our investment…

“Once we started, people didn’t want the splash pad to have fresh water so we went to reclaimed water. That is a big cost, because we’re recirculating the water, chemically treating it, everything like that. That’s pumps, power, all that stuff that needs to be,” he continued, adding that the splash pad has a slip-resistant texture and is ADA compliant.

“Yes, there is no shade right now. It is on order,” Martinez assured. “The town is installing them, to save cost, because we only have $5,000 for the shade and it’s more than $5,000. The rest of the money is coming out of my budget, the parks department… And it’s not just one feature. It’s multiple features, they are just in the ground.”

Commissioner Bruce Jabbour did not seem wholly satisfied with the splash pad himself, highlighting the small amount of seating with just two benches and then broaching the bollards. Nye County District Attorney Brian Kunzi then interjected to explain that the discussion, being held under commissioner’s comments, was becoming too in-depth and would be better left for a future agenda item. Jabbour followed by directing staff to include an item on the next agenda to allow for further deliberation.

The Simkins Park Splash Pad Grand Opening is slated for 9 a.m. on Friday, July 24 at Simkins Park, 450 E. Simkins Road.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com