Drives and putts to give way to walks and mutts

By Mike Trask

Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2006 | 7:32 a.m.

Sometime in the next few years golf will no longer ruin good walks in the middle of North Las Vegas.

The 132 acres of greenery along West Craig Road will remain near the center of the growing city of 175,000. Men will continue to stroll down paths. Children will learn old games and practice new skills.

But instead of the 6,000-yard Craig Ranch Golf Course with its bunkers and fairways, the course will be relandscaped into a park where locals can relax and play.

Officials also hope that the park becomes a regional attraction that lures tourists to a tranquil setting where even people who have never heard of Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson will enjoy afternoon outings to Craig Ranch.

"I think it's going to be a tremendous project for the city," City Manager Gregory Rose said. "It's unique to find that here in the valley."

North Las Vegas Mayor Mike Montandon has loftier expectations.

"This is a legacy project - it will be like our Central Park," he said last year when the city acquired the golf course and began moving ahead with plans for a regional park. "When people leave it, I want them saying they love this town."

North Las Vegas is examining three visions for the park:

All three options, each of which would include a skate park, dog park and children's play area, aim to retain at least 30 percent of the existing trees to provide, as a North Las Vegas brochure puts it, "a green oasis in the heart of our city."

Some residents like the idea of converting the golf course into a park, noting that it would create public land in their neighborhood, often a difficult thing to find in Clark County.

"It's large and it's got mature trees. It would make a great park," resident Craig Booker said.

Echoing a point many other residents are making, Booker added: "I'd rather see them do that than build houses."

Resident Rick Perry admits he will miss the reasonably priced golf course - rounds cost about $20 - near his home, but calls that a small price to pay for a large park set in an urban town. "I could see myself walking on the paths and spending some time at the park," he said.

The city used $52 million in federal funds raised through the auctions of Bureau of Land Management property to buy the golf course, including water rights, from owner Donald Nelson. The city also has received another $20 million from the BLM that will pay for the conversion to a park.

Many of the golf course's physical features will remain. Both of the course's ponds will remain - although park visitors, unlike golfers, will be happy to be near or in the water. And the golf course paths are expected to become walking trails.

Although the course has been open for more than 40 years, city officials, aware that the land was zoned for single-family homes, worried that it might one day be sold for a housing development - a scenario not uncommon here or around the country.

Five years ago, another development option was considered, when Craig Ranch was being looked at as a possible home for a new Station Casino. The North Las Vegas City Council had granted approval to Station Casinos to build on the site, despite opposition from many residents.

In the end, the Nevada Gaming Policy Committee killed that plan in 2001 because of a state law restricting construction of new casinos near residential neighborhoods.

Now the city is seeking residents' input on what to do with the proposed sprawling park. When the city polled residents at one recent event, most said they preferred a natural park rather than a sports-oriented one, Rose said.

"More people favor a park that doesn't have as many activities," he said.

Residents will have another chance to voice their opinions at a meeting tonight at the Silver Mesa Recreation Center. They also can offer comments at craigranch.org.

In the meantime, the golf course remains open to the public, with the city running its day-to-day operations.

Once officials choose from among the three plans, the design process will take at least six months, with construction taking another year or two, Rose said.

So for now, trees and water will be things to avoid - not admire - at Craig Ranch.