Provo park excites neighborhood and school

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Hundreds of neighbors and the Provo City Council gathered Tuesday for the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Provo’s newest park, adjacent to Lakeview Elementary School.

Due to the poor economy, the park’s constructions plans were put on hold after a lack of city funding. After a sizable investment by retail property owners, Lakeview Park was completed earlier this month.

“Before the economy turned around, we were getting around a million dollars a year,” said Roger Thomas, director of Provo Parks and Recreation. “Now we only get one or two hundred thousand a year.”

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Lakeview Park, located in northern Provo, is the newest addition to the city’s public playgrounds.

The park is valued at $1.5 million. Sherrie Hall Everett, Provo city municipal council member, said they have waited a long time for this park.

“We have put a lot of effort into getting this park finally finished,” Everett said.

During the ceremony Thomas explained why the project took several years to complete.

“Making a park like this requires help from a lot of different people,” Thomas said.

The size of the crowd gathered for the ribbon cutting surprised city officials.

“We were expecting a good turnout, but wow, this is amazing.” Thomas said. “We were not expecting this many people.”

Project coordinator Dean Hutchison said he is proud of this park.

“This is the best park in the county,” Hutchison said. “These slides are the highest in the city. There are not many parks that have their own sledding hill.”

The park was combined with Lakeview Elementary School, making the park almost a mile in circumference. The park holds four playgrounds for different age groups, four outdoor basketball courts, a sledding hill, two pavilions and two tennis courts.

Thomas said his favorite section is the new tennis courts with new post-tension concrete that will make them last up to 50 years.

“The tennis courts are the best in all the county,” Hutchinson said. “[They will] probably give BYU a run for its money.”

The park also has large fields that will be used for sports such as soccer and lacrosse, bike and walking paths.

The park is located at 2825 W. 1394 North, adjacent to Lakeview Elementary School.

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