Pahrump's First Splash Pad Takes Shape With Plumbing, Tanks Installed at Simkins Park

Nye County Public Communications Manager Arnold Knightly confirmed Monday that Pahrump's long-stalled splash pad has crossed into visible construction: "Construction is underway for the splash pad. New chemical tanks and under-plumbing are installed."

The milestone at Simkins Park, 1350 E. Simkins Road on the valley's north side, arrives more than two and a half years after a ceremonial groundbreaking in October 2023 and nine months after the county awarded a contract of $299,349.32 to Great Western Installations on July 1. Asked about a completion date, Knightly offered no guarantee: "The timeline is flexible right now, so nothing is etched in stone."

The project's origins trace to June 2023, when members of Pahrump Mother's Corner, a Facebook-born parents' group with hundreds of members, presented to the Nye County Commission and argued Pahrump was then the only statistical area in Nevada without a splash pad. Less than four months later, the Nye County grants team secured a $50,000 T-Mobile Hometown Grant, Pahrump Mother's Corner contributed $5,000, and officials turned the ceremonial dirt at Simkins Park on October 6. The remainder of the roughly $250,000 budget was allocated from the town's Capital Improvement Fund.

The procurement process that followed was anything but routine. At the Nye County Commission's May 21, 2024 meeting, Purchasing and Contracts Manager Honey Strozzi explained that two initial bids had been rejected: the first, from CG&B Enterprises, topped $1 million; the second, from Oasis Water Playgrounds Inc., came in at $250,000 but failed to meet minimum bidding requirements. With the original T-Mobile grant period set to expire September 30, 2024, county officials secured an extension to December 31, 2025 and directed staff to narrow the project scope and re-solicit. A February 2025 Request for Qualifications also failed to yield an acceptable contractor, prompting another search.

Great Western Installations, which held an existing splash pad contract with the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, ultimately submitted a successful proposal. On July 1, the county awarded the company a contract for $299,349.32, roughly $49,000 above the project's original budget, with costs covered by the T-Mobile grant and the town's Capital Improvement Fund.

Equipment delivery pushed actual construction into early 2026. By February, Knightly confirmed crews were still waiting on materials; excavation at the Simkins Park plot began shortly after. The 1,500-square-foot facility is designed as a recirculating pad with a UV treatment system to disinfect and recycle water, a practical specification in a desert valley where water supply is a persistent concern.

With Pahrump summers capable of sustained triple-digit temperatures and no firm opening date on record, families who have been waiting since 2023 are watching whether Great Western Installations can deliver a finished facility before the season when it matters most has already peaked.