Providence community celebrates its second major park opening

By Aida Ahmed

Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011 | 6:31 p.m.

Almost a year after breaking ground for a new park in the northwest valley, Knickerbocker Park opened Saturday in the Providence master-planned community at 10695 Dorrell Lane.

Las Vegas city officials and the Providence community celebrated its opening with a ceremony and the unveiling of the new PD dog mascot.

“I think Providence is a lucky community,” said John Ritter, developer of Providence. “There aren’t a lot of parks being built in Las Vegas right now.”

The $2.2 million, 15-acre park is the second of three projects for the community funded by the Providence Master Homeowners Association.

The first park, the Promenade, is a half-mile linear park built in 2008. It cost a little over $1 million. Another $2.2 million has been allocated to build the third, Huckleberry Park, in the future.

Knickerbocker Park, was named after “Knickerbocker Tales,” a collection of stories such as “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Headless Horseman” by author Washington Irving. The park features a splash pad, a youth baseball field, a dog park, two play areas and a multiuse events field. The park overlooks much of the Las Vegas Valley.

Capital Consultants Management Corp.’s community manager for the Providence Homeowners Association Brandon Exline said the next phases of the park, slated for completion in January, will add amenities. An additional jogging path, a 28-foot shade ramada, a flag poll, an exercise station, as well as landscaping will be installed.

Funding for the two-year project came from home sales in the 1,200-acre community, Exline said.

“We’re pleased to show the great things that HOAs can do,” he said.

Currently residents occupy about 2,500 homes. Exline said at build-out the community will reach up to 7,500 to 10,500 homes.

Dependent on homeowners, members of the HOA were included step-by-step in the process of the parks. With guidance from the city on amenities, said Exline, the park caters to residents’ needs.

Las Vegas Councilman Steve Ross attended the opening ceremony.

“No tax dollars went into this park,” Ross said as he congratulated the Providence community. “The city isn’t building a whole lot of parks right now. We need open spaces like this.”