Thanks to a five anonymous monetary donors and the donated time of a master brick mason, Baker City’s Central Park is getting a new feature.

At the south end of the park next to the Leo Adler Memorial Parkway and just north of Valley Avenue, a meditative labyrinth, 39 feet in diameter, is being constructed.

One of the donors contributed $25,000 for the project, which is estimated to cost about $38,000.

The cost of the labyrinth kit is $30,900, including a $3,000 delivery charge.

The kit was delivered Monday. It contains 41,000 pounds of concrete paving bricks in two colors.

According to the project’s Facebook page, a labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of a circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. It’s a walking meditation device with a single winding path from the edge to the center.

An organizer of the project, Kathleen Kiefer, said donors have made contributions that bring the funds for the project up to about $33,000.

She collaborated with Aletha Bonebrake, another organizer, to work with the Baker Lions Club to get their “blessing” for the project. They made a presentation and showed a video about labyrinths to Lions Club members last year.

“They like it and they gave it their blessing,” Kiefer said. “That was the first step: to get somebody to say ‘Yes, we like the idea and we’ll support you.’ ”

Keifer said the Lions Club is administering donations for the labyrinth.

“They are primarily a holding tank for the money,” she said. “I think they are going to be a little more financially invested down the road.”

The Lions Club has been a partner in community projects and art projects at the city’s parks and especially ones along the Leo Adler Memorial Parkway. Kiefer said the labyrinth project aligns with the Club’s efforts to benefit Baker City.

“It’s a really good project,” said Jeff Nelson, a Lions Club board member and a member of the city’s parks and recreation board. “The Lions Club is always looking for partners in developing the pathway. We always have that as a line item in our budget.”

See more in the July 14, 2017, issue of the Baker City Herald.