Minnesota Discovery Center Restores Pond

CHISHOLM, Minn.– A new and improved way to enjoy the Minnesota Discovery Center is finally complete.
Crews had to fix over forty years of wear and tear to restore it. And now, it’s looking better than ever.

“It’s very exciting. This has been a project that’s been a long time in the works. We started working on this several years ago. On the design phase, and engineering. It’s been something that needed attention for a long time,” said Ethan Bexell, Operations Director of MN Discovery Center.

That attention was given, and the pond had a complete makeover.

“We have completed a full renovation of the pond system. Including new liner, new rock around the edge, a new pump for the fountains,” said Bexell.

For this project alone, it uses 385,000 gallons of water, and 50,000 square feet of liner.
Alongside those renovations, the pond received some exciting upgrades as well.

“We added two, or I should say one additional spillway at the waterfall area. But we made them significantly larger, and significantly larger drops. So, there’ll be a much more substantial waterfall. We also have waterfalls around the corner that were existing, but oftentimes weren’t running because the pumps couldn’t run with the lack of water,” said Bexell.

The construction process had a few struggles along the way.

“We started this project back in the end of May. We had an original completion date for the end of June. Because of Mother Nature and the rain, we received early this spring and early summer we wrapped up just after the beginning of August. There have been areas of the pond that are almost completely dry because it’s been leaking so bad. So, it’s very exciting to see it come to fruition,” said Bexell.

The Avenue of Nations Pond was first built in the ’80s and serves a variety of purposes. Some of these things, you initially wouldn’t expect firsthand.

“We host numerous types of events on the property. Everything from conferences to meetings, to weddings. So, this pond system is the backdrop to a lot of different types of events,” said Bexell.

People aren’t the only ones taking advantage of this space.
Some other renovations include reintroducing native plants to the area and improving the quality in the water.
making it a wildlife friendly space as well. There are already some exciting plans in place for next summer.

“Many, many years ago there used to be remote control boats on the pond up by the mini golf. We are bringing remote control boats back next season. They won’t be up at mini golf, but they’ll be able to check them out at our admissions desk and drive a little boat around the pond,” said Bexell.

But until then, staff is excited to show off their latest addition to the museum.