City Park bids farewell to the Kiwanis pavilion

A small part of Delta Junction’s history was demolished Thursday, September 10, when the Kiwanis Pavilion in City Park was leveled.

“The decision was made to remove the pavilion as it was deemed unsafe,” stated City Administrator Lori Roberts.

The actual age of the structure and year of construction are a little hazy, since the original Kiwanis Club has since disbanded, and few original members are still in the community.  However, the best guess is the pavilion was likely constructed in the mid- to late-1980s.

“We got the park in the city’s name in the ’80s, I believe,” recalls Delta Junction City Council Member Mary Leith. “And sometime after that, the Kiwanis said they wanted to build a pavilion.”

For over 30 years, the structure played host to family and neighborhood cookouts, birthday parties, and other celebrations. Regardless of Delta’s fickle weather, one was guaranteed some shelter from the elements under the pavilion’s roof.

However, the pavilion had developed a lean, and it was noted the four load-bearing beams were rotting at the base. That issue, coupled with Delta’s notorious winds, heralded the decision to remove the aging structure. The City of Delta Junction’s Public Works knocked down and removed the pavilion Thursday morning.  

Tentative plans are in the works to replace the structure at no cost to the City.

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