Fuji Park, Carson City Fairgrounds rehab could cost $5 million

The estimate of what it will take to spruce up Fuji Park and the Carson City Fairgrounds has more than doubled in less than a year to $5 million. Now city officials and park users are trying to find the money.

Users of the park, which hosts numerous organized events, have long sought improvements such as better access, parking and more amenities.

City staff will present a plan for upgrading the site to the Parks and Recreation Commission in August.

A developer planning to build an adjacent casino could be a help in improving the park.

Kevin Coleman, owner of Net Development and K&S Properties, plans to build the casino on the three-acre site formerly home to Bodine's. Earlier this year, he told a group of residents that improving the park would help the planned casino succeed and offered to contribute up to $1 million.

Other money sources also will be important if Coleman changes his mind and, for example, ends up doing something different with the property and no longer needs shared parking, said Supervisor Pete Livermore, who also sits on the commission.

"Regardless what happens with Coleman, it should not deter us," he said. "We'll just seek funding elsewhere."

The city has $600,000 for the project left from the Costco land sale, and the Nevada Division of Wildlife will pay $250,000 for a one-acre fishing pond in the northeast section of Fuji.

Work will begin in and around the pond first because funding for it has been secured, said Roger Moellendorf, the city's Parks and Recreation Director.

Once there is more money, focus will move around the facility counterclockwise in three more phases, he said.

Other major proposed changes include: boosting overall safety by better separating spectators from participants and their animals; doubling the amount of turf in the park; a new picnic shelter; and adding lawn area with automatic irrigation.

Coleman's business would share 239 asphalt parking spots surrounding the main arena with the fairgrounds, which would seat the same number of people as it does now: 1,100. The arena would be realigned, however, to run north-south instead of its current east-west orientation.

Members of the users group formed early this year represent area 4-H, rodeo, canine and equestrian concerns. While the plan is one reached from much discussion and work, "there's no such thing as unanimous support, but there's general consensus in support of the plan," Moellendorf said.

"Any improvement to the fairgrounds is a step in the right direction. There are lots of different kinds of users with diverse needs wanting to use the facility," said Beth Scott, who represents the Carson City Equestrian Alliance on the users group.

She said the site won't be optimal for equestrian uses.

The movement of the warm-up area more than 400 feet away from the arena could pose a problem for horses because the walk on uneven ground would be hard on their feet and legs, Scott said.

"These are equine athletes. Their feet are everything," she said. "They shouldn't be walking through areas where vehicles drive through."

Earlier drafts of the plan had a covered warm-up area for animals " or people " next to the outdoor arena. The city, however, wanted it moved to allow for better movement around the north end of the facility.

"We're satisfied with the master plan. It's presentable, workable and resolves a good number of the issues with the fairgrounds and the park," Moellendorf said.

The last major work on the park area focused exclusively on Fuji Park and was completed in 2003. The city received about $3.7 million for the sale of 18 acres to Costco in 2000. Of that, $1.7 million was promised for park and fairgrounds improvements, according to previous reports.

Construction of Coleman's 33,000-square-foot casino, restaurant and bar is expected to begin soon and cost an estimated $30 million. The South Carson Street location near Old Clear Creek Road is considered a prime casino site because it's next to the Douglas County line and offers one of the city's last unrestricted gaming licenses.

- Contact reporter Terri Harber at tharber @nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111, ext. 215.