On the 20th of January 2015, the City council renamed the Mid-Valley Park to the Cory B. Wride Memorial Park. The park was renamed in honor of Cory B. Wride, a member of the Utah County Sheriffs office that was killed in the line of duty in Eagle Mountain.
“I think it is important for the park to have something for all age groups and all ability groups. Whether a parent needs a safe manageable place for active little ones, a safe sensory experience for an autistic child, or those confined to a wheelchair, the park should be just as accommodating as it is for members of the family playing sports or taking a stroll.”
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“Cory Wride Park is our only true city park and that being ten minutes from anywhere in the city, it is something we can do right now for all of our current residents. We have a lot of families and a lot of children who will need a place to go for diverse outdoor activity where they can grow and create memories. Neighborhood parks, though enriching to our communities, can’t duplicate that diversity or scale of economy.”
– Tom Westmoreland (Eagle Mountain City Council)
There are some improvements on the park already in process. Several phases have been planned and are in the works as well. Here are some of the improvements and phases that are currently being looked at or are in construction on park improvements.
Dura Edge Utah, Inc. was awarded a bid of $157,945.00 on October 18, 2016 to replace the infield surface mix to decrease maintenance and create a suitable playing surface. The city council vote was unanimous and the funds will be from impact fees and grant funds.
On December 6th, 2016 the Eagle Mountain City Council approved a bid for Phase 1A with a price tag of $2,200,00.00 (2.2 million) dollars to start the improvements on the Cory Wride Memorial Park. Phase 1A is currently being constructed, and was approved by the City Council. The construction on Phase 1A is to be done by S&L Inc.
Phase 1A will include: Field lights, grading and drainage, irrigation, utilities, field renovations, outfield fencing and gates, parking, four shade structures, eight dugouts, scoreboards, 130 trees, turf, playground, four benches, two bike racks, eight picnic tables, as well as trash receptacles. The money for phase 1A will be coming from a field light grant, impact fees, and community improvement fees. Construction has already started on Phase 1A and is planned to be done by the end of the 2017 calendar year.
Phase 1B has not yet gone out for bid. It is currently going through design revisions that are expect to be completed by March 1. The bid and amount will then need to be voted on by the City Council. The funding is currently slated to come from a reimbursement investment from Ivory homes for $1.8 million dollars (developer of the Overland Development in the initial stages North of Frontier Middle School), and $3.8 million dollars from the Utility Sales Proceeds. This dollar amount was discussed by the City Council in a budget planning meeting held on February 1st, 2017 in the City Council chambers. Phase 1B is proposed to include the following items: more irrigation, landscaping, earthwork, climbing playground, large playground, fountain playground, hill playground, pavilion with restrooms, four pickle ball courts, several basketball courts, twelve bike racks, thirty benches, ten pet stations, trail improvements and additional utility infrastructure.
Phase 2 is currently being planned. It is suspected that Phase 2 will go out to bid at the beginning of the next fiscal year (July 2017). The hope is that when the park is completed, that it will be a place that will help attract businesses and more residents.
“If we want to attract larger lot development then we need to sell quality outdoor lifestyle. Tumble weeds and gophers will only attract the most hardy and independent of individuals. They are already here but we are in danger of losing them as we transform into a condensed urban community. What we need to attract is the segment interested in a more refined gentry country living lifestyle. These people want it all. They want the benefits of a healthy country lifestyle with its inspiring views combined with all the modern conveniences and quality choices of activities and entertainment.”
– Tom Westmoreland”
This park if done right will be a place for all residents, no matter what age, to experience the vistas of Eagle Mountain and the recreation it offers them. But not all City Council members feel that it is a good use of the utility sale proceeds.
“I would like to diversify our park spending. I feel that we can have a nice park and avoid putting all of our eggs in one basket. We have other regional parks in the city that are less than 50% complete.”
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I question the wisdom in starting more large projects when we can’t finish and properly maintain what we already have. I love that we don’t have to bond for it but we had the money from the utility sale and raised impact fees last year to go towards parks and now that we’re using so much of our impact fees there should be money left from the utility sale to go towards the others.”
– Stephanie Gricius (Eagle Mountain City Council)
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