Community will feature unusual park

Thursday, June 24, 2004 | 11:12 a.m.

Federal land has been set aside for a new park in the southwest Las Vegas Valley that will feature an Old West village, an American Indian encampment and a simulated archaeological site where kids can dig for ancient treasures.

The proposed park, already named Exploration Park, is part of a partnership between government and a developer to provide a regional park within a larger master-planned community being developed by Focus Property Group. It will be one of six parks in the Mountain's Edge community, which covers 3,000 acres.

The Bureau of Land Management published on Tuesday a notice to lease 74.2 acres of land near Blue Diamond Road and Buffalo Drive to Clark County for the park.

Exploration Park will have a western theme, said Lynn Purdue, spokeswoman for the Focus Property Group.

The park will contain an Old West town, an area devoted to American Indians and a site where children can dig for archaeological treasures.

Other parks in the development will be named for an explorer, John C. Fremont; a pioneer, Helen Stewart; the Paiute Indians; and 19th century miner Nathaniel Jones. A total of 500 acres of parks will be available in the development, including trails that link the parks with school sites.

In addition, the Focus Property Group is restoring Blue Diamond Hill, scarred by off-road tire tracks. As the 3,000 acres of property are excavated for utilities and other infrastructure, 10,000 native plants are being transplanted to the hill.

Clark County Parks and Recreation Division, working with Focus, identified the six sites within the development, county project manager Jeff Harris said.

The largest regional park site -- 290 acres -- is the center of the community, Harris said. A recreation center will be built in the middle of the larger park.

Cooperation between the county and developers isn't new, Harris said.

Other developers, such as Pardee Homes and Rhodes Development, are planning parks and open spaces in proposed communities.

Pardee built the first such park on 10 acres near Rainbow Boulevard and Warm Springs Road.

The county sees community parks as part of a developer's obligation to offer more open space and recreation areas, Harris said.

"For us, it's a quality of life issue, for them it's quality of life for their residents," Harris said.

The Bureau of Land Management proposal is open to a 45-day public comment period. Comments may be submitted to the Field Manager, Las Vegas Field Office, 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89130.