Carson City lands $14.9 million grant for Mills Park

As Halloween came to an end, Carson City officials were celebrating a nearly $15 million federal grant award for a number of improvements at Mills Park — an early holiday gift.

According to the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Department, the funding will be used to renovate the 53-acre site that is central to Carson City life by implementing improvements from the Mills Park Master Plan “to preserve the park’s natural aesthetic and design, while creating a cohesive user-friendly park that responds to the concerns and needs of the community.”

On Sept. 7, 2023, the Board of Supervisors approved submission of the grant to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act Round 20 grant program and authorized Parks and Recreation Director Jennifer Budge to sign documents related to the grant submission.

There is no local match with the SNPLMA grant. On Oct. 29, the U.S. Department of Interior announced over $375 million in restoration and recreation projects in Nevada and California. The funding, sourced from land sales under SNPLMA, signified “a continued investment in sustainable community infrastructure and environmental preservation,” according to a news release.

"Since 1998, public land sales in the Las Vegas Valley have fueled projects that benefit communities and elevate quality of life for residents and visitors," said Acting Deputy Secretary of the Interior Laura Daniel-Davis.

Since its inception, SNPLMA has generated over $4.5 billion from Las Vegas Valley land sales, “fueling 20 rounds of funding for projects that enhance public lands in Nevada, the Lake Tahoe Basin, and areas within Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Arizona,” according to the release.

“The program has supported development of parks, trails, and conservation areas; capital improvements; multi-species habitat conservation plans; acquisition of environmentally sensitive lands; and hazardous fuels reduction efforts in the Spring Mountains, Carson Range, and Lake Tahoe,” the release said. “Additionally, 5 percent of SNPLMA revenue supports Nevada’s General Education Fund, while 10 percent is allocated to the Southern Nevada Water Authority.”

Gregg Berggren, trails coordinator for Carson City, said Mills Park is one of the oldest parks in the city “purchased from the Mills Estate, a private party, in 1951.”

Berggren said the Mills Park Master Plan began in 2022 with public surveys.

“The community’s main concerns were the unhoused population, lighting, restrooms, and a better police/security presence,” Berggren said. “The most popular improvements or additions were a splash park, new playground, skatepark expansion and more community-based events and activities. The Mills Park Master Plan was completed in 2023 and approved by the Carson City Board of Supervisors on March 16, 2023.”

Berggren described some specifics of the renovation:

“The project will demolish some of the existing facilities at Mills Park, to include the restroom at the west end of the park, the pavilion by Palo Verde Drive, the playground by Seely Loop, two maintenance sheds, volleyball courts, and the outdoor fitness course,” Berggren said. “Further, the project will protect and preserve culturally significant sites, and construct or restore other facilities and amenities to reimagine Carson City’s primary regional park. Project components will enhance public opportunities for recreation, education, community-based events, and activities, some of which will be new and unique to Carson City, like the Splash Park.”

Budge acknowledged the city’s “grant team” including Berggren, Lyndsey Boyer, open space manager, and Nick Wentworth, parks project manager.

“Without their efforts, the support of the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Board of Supervisors, the opportunity to reimagine Mills Park would not be possible,” Budge said. “I am so proud of their amazing accomplishment and what will be their legacy for the benefit of future generations.”

More information about the city’s parks, recreational and open space opportunities: https://www.carson.org/government/departments-g-z/parks-recreation-open-space