Residents air concerns about Sunset Park renovations

Richard Brian

Senior park planner Justin Williams explains planned renovations Wednesday at Sunset Park during a public input meeting at the park’s administration building.

By Ashley Livingston

Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008 | 7:19 a.m.

Richard Brian

Henderson resident and disc golfer Mike Hibdon listens during a public input session Wednesday on planned renovations at Sunset Park. Local disc golfers are worried that the renovations will affect their course.

Richard Brian

Disc golfer Robert Schuler, a member of the Professional Disc Golf Association, poses next to a disc golf basket Wednesday at Sunset Park. He's worried that upcoming renovations at the park will affect the course.

Sunset Park users expressed concern during a public meeting Wednesday night about changes to the park's disc golf course, as well as the effect planned park renovations will have on other park amenities.

The 40-year-old park is set to receive a facelift funded by the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act, which allows the revenue from the sale of public land to go toward the improvement of parks and trails.

Construction on the first phase, which includes the placement of a trail system, as well as picnic and play areas in the park’s undeveloped desert and dunes areas, will begin early next year.

Phase Two renovations, set to begin in 2010, will drastically alter the layout of the park with the addition of a loop road that roughly will follow the outline of the park’s lake. Playground equipment and volleyball courts also will be relocated.

Brian Patterson of The WLB Group, the engineering firm taking on the renovations, said the design for Phase Two is 60 percent complete, giving park planners a little bit of wiggle room to address any concerns residents might have about the changes.

About 45 members of the Las Vegas Disc Golf club, which makes frequent use of the course at Sunset Park, attended the meeting to hear how renovations would affect their hobby.

Club President Jeff Jacquart said the group is most concerned about losing the quality of the facility.

Club members don’t want to see the distance between holes shortened, trees (which serve as obstacles) removed or see holes get too close to other park amenities, such as picnic areas, Jacquart said.

Jacquart said he's also hoping park planners can provide temporary holes for 10 holes that will be altered by construction.

Senior park planner Justin Williams said planners might look into providing temporary holes. Others at the meeting worried about park closures, but Williams said construction would take place in phases to avoid closing the entire park.

“Phase Two will be sequenced in such a way so as not to impact the entire park at the same time,” he said.

Paradise Valley Little League President Michele Gomez said she was glad to hear the Little League fields wouldn’t be affected by Phase Two renovations, but questioned why so much money was going toward renovations when she said improvements are needed with the current infrastructure.

“We’ve had a scoreboard that hasn’t worked in six years,” she said.

One resident worried about a possible danger to joggers because of the new trail’s planned proximity to the loop road.

Williams said jogger and walker safety have been taken into account. He said there will be sufficient space and landscaping between the trail and loop road to provide safety for pedestrians.

Park planners said they're trying to keep the park friendly for all who use it.

“We’re trying to accommodate 27 different types of users all with their own specific interests,” Patterson said. “We’re trying to give everyone what they want.”

Ashley Livingston can be reached at 990-8925 or ashley.livingston@hbcpub.com.