Time for play: Washington City showcasing 3 new parks and a bigger Dog Town

WASHINGTON CITY — Residents of Washington City can celebrate a future bike skills park with city leaders at a groundbreaking ceremony Monday.

(L-R): Washington City Councilman Kurt Ivie, CJ Nielson and Washington City Mayor Kress Staheli inspect a panel showing the design concept for the Wheels Park, Washington City, Utah, May 12, 2022 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

It has been three years since an 11-year-old skateboarder asked Washington City officials to build a park catering to skateboarding and other wheel-based sports.

“I couldn’t have had any higher hopes,” CJ Nielson said last year when plans for Washington Wheels Park were unveiled. “This is crazy in the way it’s happened so fast.”

Washington City civic leaders are inviting the public to attend the official groundbreaking of the future park on June 12, at 7 p.m.

The park is located near the intersection of George Washington Boulevard and the newly planned state Route 7 interchange.

City staff already held an official opening for another park less than one month ago. The first phase of construction on Sunrise Valley Park, at 685 South Country Way, has concluded and is open to the public. Amenities include a playground, pickleball courts, basketball court, a pavilion with bathrooms and a walking trail that connects to the Virgin River Trail.

The youngest of the O’Farrell children plays on the musical features of Sunrise Valley Park in Washington City, Utah, May 31, 2023 | Photo by Haven Scott, St. George News

Kevyn O’Farrell, who recently was down by the water at Sunrise Valley Park with her husband and children, told St. George News she has visited the park at least a dozen times already. She said city planners placed it perfectly in between her house, her children’s school and their day care.

O’Farrell said she likes the musical features for her youngest child, but the oldest tends to gravitate toward the water.

“There are usually quite a few kids here when we have been here before, so they all play baseball or basketball together,” she said. “It’s nice that the trails are near and that they have options to do different things. It’s a good stopping point for us between work, school and home.”

Once the trucks get rolling, residents can stop by Quentin’s Corner on the corner of Telegraph and Main Street in Washington for some locally made delights. 

St. George News spoke with Washington City Public Affairs Officer Jordan Hess about a new food truck court on property dedicated to the former property owner Quentin Nisson.

Once the site of the “old merch store and family home,” city leaders bought the property for future use in their downtown redevelopment plans.

Quentin’s Court is a new park that has the capacity to facilitate up to six food trucks, Washington City, Utah, May 31, 2023 | Photo by Haven Scott, St. George News

Until those plans take shape, they installed electrical hookups for up to six food trucks, he said. There are covered picnic tables, lots of grass and shade and Veterans Park is a walk to visit.

“A food truck can apply with the city to get permission to station there,” Hess said. “We plan on creating social media accounts specifically for the food truck court to keep the public updated on what trucks will be there.”

Washington City planners are not forgetting about the town residents who gave them their beloved moniker.

Dog Town Park, located at 450 South 200 E., has been a favorite among residents with four-legged friends since it was built and is “quite possibly the city’s most used park,” Mayor Kress Staheli said.

Additions are currently being made to double the park’s size and accommodate both large and small breeds, more shade trees and sections of block wall around the perimeter.

“I encourage everyone to come out and experience these new amenities,” Staheli wrote in his monthly newsletter. “And I look forward to seeing you at Quentin’s Corner, the expanded Dog Town Park and the new Sunrise Valley Park soon.”

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

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