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Residents are invited to join Ward 6 Councilman Steven D. Ross for the grand opening of Centennial Hills Park, Phase III, and a Back-to-School Fair on Friday, August 8, 2008, at 6:30 p.m. The park is located at 7101 N. Buffalo Drive at Deer Springs Way.
Activities include back-to-school supplies for all school age children, face painters, balloon artists, jump houses, a farmers market and community vendors. The Metropolitan Police Department will be on hand at 7:30 p.m. and present parents and students ways to prevent school violence and things they should know before the start of school. Families are invited to bring along blankets and stay for the Disney movie, Dinosaurs. The movie is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. and popcorn and popsicles will be provided, while supplies last.
“I am so excited for residents to come out and see the latest addition to this magnificent park. The park not only incorporates a great new place to bring your family, but also an educational component,” Councilman Ross said. “The back-to-school fair will only add to the excitement of this fun event for the entire family.”
The third and final phase of the park was planned and designed with much forethought and creativity, incorporating an existing historic riverbed. Picnic shelters for small groups, as well as ramadas for larger groups, adorn the organic architecture of the arroyos. In addition, there is an outdoor grass amphitheatre with seating capacity of 3,500, playground with splash pad, open turf for passive play, horseshoe pits, public art feature with steel sculptures of prehistoric animals that once roamed this area, educational signage and an interpretive overlook area at the highest slope.
One of the many unique features of this portion of the park is that it will incorporate the first fully American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) playground in Las Vegas. A boundless playground allows children of all abilities to play together. The playground is 100 percent accessible for children with disabilities with ramps and plays areas designed specifically to allow wheelchair access. The playground is also full of rigor and challenge for fully able children. It is built into a hillside with all three levels accessible via ramps and bridges, as well as activity features being conducive to those with disabilities.
Working in collaboration with the Geoscience Department at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, an important component of this phase of the park was discovered, an inverted historic river bed. The river bed is perhaps the last remaining remnant of a large network of such channels that once covered this region.
To help residents and visitors understand the vast history of this area, interpretive signage describing the plants, animals, geology and hydrogeology of the area have been installed along the walking paths. The signs describe the geological significance of the area and its value for Las Vegans today. Large steel images of prehistoric animals adorn the walkways.
A small, but important feature that enhances this community hub is the addition of electrical hook ups in the parking lot to accommodate a future weekly Farmer’s Market. The Farmer’s Market will provide neighbors fresh fruits and vegetables along with artisans selling furniture and jewelry.
Funding for the $12 million project was provided by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) through the Bureau of Land Management.
The first phase of the park opened in 2003 and includes innovative, state-of-the-art features that include a professional volleyball complex with the first of its kind custom sprinkler system to cool the sand during hot summer days and ensure year round use. Other amenities include 10 picnic areas with shelter ramadas, two natural turf soccer fields, a jogging/walking path, restroom facility, two fenced dog runs and open space. In addition, another first for Las Vegas is the custom playground and water play area themed as an outdoor fantasyland to stir a child’s sense of adventure and imagination. It contains colorful, giant flower and butterfly shade canopies, mushroom-shaped tables and chairs and caterpillar benches.
Phase two of the park included the construction of a $40.5 million, 98,385 square foot multi-generational community center. The center amenities include four pools, two indoor and two outdoor, two gymnasiums, dance room, fitness center, classrooms and an exclusive active adult center specifically designed for patrons age 50 and better.
The 100-plus acre master-planned complex also includes a 45,555 square foot regional library. The state-of-the-art library is currently under construction and is scheduled to be completed in early 2009.
For more information on the event, please call 229-6720.
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