Editorial: Park at a crossroads

Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2005 | 9:01 a.m.

The Legislature's Interim Finance Committee has given its conditional approval to returning Floyd Lamb State Park to the city of Las Vegas. The only requirement that must be completed before the transfer is for the city to hold a public planning session about the park's future to ensure that it will only be used for recreational purposes. We have previously opposed the transfer because of our suspicion that the city would one day transform the rural character of the park -- which features plenty of open spaces, historic buildings, ponds, wetlands and water fowl -- into an urban park, replete with skateboard parks, baseball fields and the like. That suspicion was warranted, especially since the initial transfer agreement proposed by the city would have allowed athletic playing fields in much of the park, located in the northwest part of the Las Vegas Valley .

The final transfer agreement with the state does require that only passive recreation uses be allowed, such as family play fields, picnic areas, cultural events, hiking and jogging trails. Still, we are concerned that the agreement doesn't spell out what kinds of uses won't be permitted, such as lighted baseball diamonds and soccer fields, activities that would destroy the rural nature of the park. (We wouldn't be surprised, after a few years pass, to see the city try to renegotiate the transfer agreement with the state to permit baseball and soccer fields.) Despite our opposition to this agreement, we hope that the city will faithfully maintain the unique character of this park so that current and future generations can get a needed respite from the daily grind of urban life.