New trails and facilities for Carson City parks in 2018

Carson City Parks, Recreation and Open Space is blazing new trails — as well as new programs and facilities — in 2018.

Trail work includes the trailhead at Sierra Vista Lane, which will be improved with the addition of portable restrooms, fencing and updated signage. Construction will begin on the trailhead at 5th Street at Fairview Drive to connect trails to Silver Saddle Ranch. Both projects are funded by federal grants.

In addition, a number of trails will receive maintenance and some new ones will be built, including upkeep on Prison Hill trails and a new so-called prescription trail being constructed behind the hospital.

A request for proposal to develop a master plan for Silver Saddle Ranch is being issued in 2018.

“We get a lot of requests for special events there so we’ll be looking at what’s the best way to conduct improvements consistent with its cultural history,” said Jennifer Budge, director, Parks and Rec. “It’s a wonderful spot for a small music venue, for example.”

New programs in the works include Junior Ranger, an interpretive program for kids being developed by one of the department’s year-long Americorps volunteers, Danielle Hatch.

New events include March Madness 3 on 3, a basketball tournament at the Multi-Athletic Center to coincide with the college tourney, and an underwater Easter egg hunt and dive-in movie at the Aquatic Facility.

New events from last year that proved successful will be returning, including a skateboard competition and community garage sale that were held on the same day at Mills Park and the Carson City Community Center parking lot; Boonanza, the Halloween event at the Community Center; Wreaths Across America, the wreath laying event to honor veterans held at Lone Mountain Cemetery; and a pickleball tournament at the MAC.

All those events and more can be found in the department’s activity guide, now being published and posted online three times a year.

The newest venue, Carson City’s first disc golf course, should be completed in the spring. The city is working with the Eagle Valley Disc Golf Association, which will be putting in an 18-hole and 9-hole course, and eventually another 18-hole course, on 100 city-owned acres between Flint and Rifle Range roads.

The Eagle Valley Golf Course could be like new, too, with a new operator, Duncan Golf Management, which began managing the course late last year.

“They were amazing. They were willing to come in three weeks early and help out,” said Budge.

And, of course, the department has a vast range of existing properties to maintain.

The floating lane lines at the pool will be replaced and $100,000 spent to refurbish the women’s locker room and design work will begin to make the playground at Ross Gold Park universally accessible, among other maintenance on the city’s parks and trails.

Behind the scenes, the department continues to work on its part of the city’s asset management program, collecting data on all its assets and their condition in order to better manage maintenance and repairs.

The department is also overhauling its outdated fee structure, which it will likely take to the Board of Supervisors for approval next month.

“Some of the fees are very complicated and not all of them will go up. We’ll have a six-month implementation so as not to negatively impact anyone,” said Budge. “Our goal is to provide a fee structure that is friendly for both staff and the public.”