Community Dedicates Bridgeport Veterans Park on Memorial Day

Bridgeport Mayor Gayle Beyer has begun cleaning up the pond behind Sonny Super Foods, a local grocery store on Main Street.

Known to residents as the “old swimming hole,” the area was used by children to swim and splash around for decades before the city opened the pool in the 1970s, she said.

“People used to fish here,” she said, noting that her son would come to the pond when he was little, splash around in it all day and come home covered in dirt. “The pond was very dirty and completely inadequate. There had been talk of cleaning it up for 40 years.”

Beyer said he began the effort to clean up the old swimming area so that children and tourists could enjoy it, and when he took office about a year and a half ago, he said he was able to gather people to help with the project, which has now been designated a park as Morrill County Veterans Memorial Park.

“A ton of engineering work,” she said when asked what the project entailed, led by Bridgeport firm Corman Construction. A number of others, including pond committee members, Council President Mark Wickard and his brother Greg Wickard, Morrill County Sheriff Milo Cardenas and Morrill County Veterans Services Officer Tim Marquez, helped transform the once trash-filled pond into one with fishing piers, benches and picnic tables. City crews also pitched in.

“We've been working really hard to make this vision a reality,” Beyer said.

Inspired by her family, she decided to dedicate the park to veterans.

“I come from a long line of veterans,” she said. “My great-grandfather, grandfather, father, father-in-law, and even my son are veterans. I don't know if we'll ever be able to honor their sacrifice.”

Other members of the pond committee also pitched in, putting the finishing touches on the piece just before a Memorial Day dedication ceremony and ribbon-cutting on Monday. Beyer, city council members, pond committee members and veterans performed a patriotic ribbon-cutting while patriotic songs were played. People also enjoyed burgers and hot dogs to celebrate the dedication.

Among those taking part in the celebration were Greg and Mark Wickard.

“I hope this project means a lot to the kids and veterans of Bridgeport,” Greg Wickard said. “I'm glad I can help with something like this and make it work for everybody. And I think it turned out better than we could have probably imagined.”

They said Bridgeport residents have been fishing the pond for generations, and improvements such as Nebraska Game and Parks helping to clean it and restock it are important to the effort to make it fishable. The fishing pier will increase the area for youth and others to fish, drawing more people to the pond. Mark Wickard said the city was able to secure about $12,000 in funding from the Choice Gas program to put toward the improvements.

The park's benches and picnic tables will be donated and available for people to purchase as a tribute to veterans. Beyer said he also wants to make one of the fishing areas handicap accessible and add an accessible pier.

The pond renovation isn't the only initiative Beyer and the community are working on. The Downtown Improvement Committee is the driving force behind a program called “Hometown Heroes,” which allows people to purchase banners honoring Morrill County veterans. The plan was to recognize veterans who served and died in past wars on Memorial Day, but there were delays, so the city plans to hang the banners as soon as they arrive. The banners are also expected to line Bridgeport's streets on other holidays, including Independence Day and Veterans Day.

Anyone interested in donating to the pond project or veterans recognition efforts can contact Beyer at the City of Bridgeport.