Henderson’s Aventura Park the latest addition to Inspirada community
The city of Henderson continues fueling its pride in parks as it adds No. 62 to the list.
The community was scheduled to celebrate the grand opening of Aventura Park, 2525 Via Firenze, May 30 in Inspirada.
“Our parks are a statement of quality of life. People choose Henderson over other areas because of the quality of our recreational opportunities,” said Councilwoman Debra March. “It’s important for every child and every child-at-heart to have convenient access to these opportunities, so it’s our goal to have a park or trail system within a half-mile of each home.”
The 21-acre park is slated to include lighted multi-use and soccer fields; basketball, tennis and volleyball courts; a playground; a dog park; a splash pad; and a picnic area.
“It’s such a pedestrian-oriented project with the park front and center, so we were very focused on aesthetics,” said landscape architect Andy Baron of AndersonBaron. “We also looked at walkability and having clear routes from point A to point B. It seems like it would be easy, but with this many amenities, it gets a little difficult.”
Costing roughly $11 million, the project kicked off about four months ago, according to contractor Guy Martin of Martin Harris Construction.
“Park design today in today’s economy and today’s environment is always done with a large amount of attention to efficiency of water use and renewable energy,” Martin said. “In addition to that, one of the key elements to this park is the security. The layout is very visually open with all adjacent amenities so that you could keep your entire family within eyeshot.”
Aventura Park is part of a turnkey program in which a developer builds a neighborhood park in accordance with city standards and dedicates the completed park to the city for public use.
“It feels like a community park, but it’s also managed by the local municipality, which is a unique recipe,” Martin said. “When a municipality builds a park, it typically feels institutional. Aventura is more community-based, and it’ll be the cornerstone of what’s to come in Inspirada.”
In a recent community survey, many Henderson residents said they were satisfied with the city’s parks and trail systems, according to March.
“The Trust for Public Land just ranked the city of Henderson 19 in their national survey of park systems,” she said. “The city also received a gold medal last year for our parks and recreation program from the National Parks and Recreation Association, and they only award one gold medal annually.”
The Inspirada community also opened Capriola Park, 2155 Via Firenze, and Potenza Park, 2355 Via Firenze, last October. The 13-acre and 5-acre parks, respectively, are also operated and maintained mostly by the city.
Although some amenities are duplicated in the parks, Baron said each is unique and follows a different theme.
“Capriola was about discovery and curiosity; Potenza was more of a movement and music theme, and now Aventura is about exploration and elevation,” Baron said. “We want the community to venture out and try different things. If we created all three parks the same, we would have de-emphasized the importance of having a park system like this.”
Aventura, Capriola and Potenza are part of Inspirada’s planned 85-acre system of parks, trails and open spaces.
“A community used to rely on three elements: a fire station, police station and library. Now, parks and open spaces are replacing libraries,” Martin said. “You don’t have to be a big scholar to notice that our community is severely missing outdoor time, physical activity and family interaction. But if you go to a park, you’ll find those elements.”
Baron said he’s in the process of designing more parks for the Inspirada community.
“It’s a little different now because we’re getting user feedback, and often times, we don’t get that in what we do,” he said. “It’s good and exciting. We’re doing some unique stuff while keeping the community in mind.”
For more information, visit inspirada.com or cityofhenderson.com/parks.
To reach Henderson View reporter Caitlyn Belcher, email cbelcher@viewnews.com or call 702-383-0403. Find her on twitter: @caitlynbelcher.
