Long-awaited Silver Oak subdivision park gets approval

A three-acre park in west Carson City that's been 12 years in the making received approval from parks commissioners Tuesday.

Developer Garth Richards set aside 13 acres in the Silver Oak subdivision for park and school space in 1993, and in the following years the space became the center of much speculation and debate, putting off design of a community park.

Along with carving out seven acres for a future elementary school site, Richards had donated three acres to the Boys & Girls Club of Western Nevada.

The youth organization began talks with the city and the Carson City School District in 1997 to try to get more of the land, so it could build a new, long-awaited facility there.

By 1998, the proposal was dead due to objections from Silver Oak residents. The club later sold the donated land to another developer for nearly $1 million.

A conceptual design for the neighborhood park, unveiled at Tuesday's Carson City Parks and Recreation meeting, shows brightly colored canvas shadings, a tennis court, two basketball half-courts, a half-pipe for skateboarders and a children's playground, along with paths and open fields.

While one Silver Oak resident said the small park's numerous activity centers didn't reflect what he called the older population of Silver Oak, all the design elements came out of suggestions and votes from about 25 neighborhood residents who attended public workshops, according to Carson City Park Planner Vern Krahn.

The design will now go to the city's board of supervisors for final approval.

Under an agreement between the city and Richards, construction on the park must begin by July.

n Contact reporter Cory McConnell at cmcconnell@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.