Craig Ranch Regional Park to get upgrades funded by county grant

A $9.5 million grant from Clark County will help North Las Vegas significantly increase the number of recreation fields in the city.

The grant, accepted by the North Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday, will go toward building six lighted fields on the southeast corner of Craig Ranch Regional Park.

“If we didn’t receive this funding today, we’re probably eight to 10 years out before we find this amount of funding to provide this community service,” said Cass Palmer, director of neighborhood and leisure services for North Las Vegas. “So we’d miss a full generation.”

The collection of fields will be the first in the city capable of hosting large tournaments, according to the council agenda item.

The project includes six fields, restrooms, bleachers, playground areas, a new parking lot and road, and storage areas. Completion of the project represents about a 40 percent increase in the total number of fields in the city, Palmer said.

Full buildout is expected by the end of 2022, Palmer said.

Palmer said one of the reasons the county provided the funding is because the park is seeing more visitors. Last year, more than 500,000 people visited Craig Ranch Regional Park.

Clark County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly played a major role in securing the funding for the project.

“It’s such a much-needed amenity to this park,” he said.

The project will also help the city to generate money to enhance the park in the future, he said.

Athletics would be one of the main focuses for the fields, but they would also be available for special events, such as festivals, Palmer said.

Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.