The Blacksmith Fork Park in Hyrum is slated to be completed by the end of summer 2022.

HYRUM- The city of Hyrum has been working on a park for some 20 years and it is shaping up to be one of the premier open outside play spaces in Cache Valley.

The new Blacksmith Fork Park located east of Mountain Crest High School has been in the making for over 20 years. The park will not only have plenty of greenspace for children and families it has different amenities to keep people outside for hours.

The National Parks and Recreation Association touts parks as essential to establishing and maintaining a strong quality of life in a community. Parks ensure the health of families and youth and contribute to the economic and environmental well-being of a community.

Hyrum City’s mayor and city council have bought into the concept that healthy communities have nice parks.

The association also said people who spent time in parks are generally healthier than people that don’t.

“The city purchased the ground a long time ago,” said Ron Salvesen, the Hyrum City manager. “It is just under 30 acres, and it has a wide variety of things that will give people something to do.”

The park has two Pony League fenced baseball fields, two pickleball courts and two to four more to be added in the next two months depending on the budget. The park already has plans for a sledding hill, splash pad, dog park, two playgrounds and one sand volleyball pit.

“There will be a basketball court, a big amphitheater and a 21,000 square foot skateboard park,” he said. “Hunger Skateparks designed it and Zach Sheppard of Directive Boardshop in Logan and Dave Smelli, a graphic design professor at Utah State University and a well-known skater and snow boarder, consulted on it.”

The lion’s share of the construction started about seven years ago. There are three pavilions, several restroom facilities and a walking trail that will hook into the Blacksmith Fork Canyon Trail.

“The money to build the park came from city funds, RAPZ tax and a generous donations by JBS of $450,000 for the skateboard park,” Salvesen said. “In the beginning, the city took their park plan to Utah State University and they came up with a concept plan and gave some input on what people are looking for in a park and Design West did the construction drawings.”

They hope the park will be finished by the end of summer, but they still have a lot to do to make that happen. They have several variety of trees planted that will provide shade for visitors.

Hyrum City Councilman Paul James said he was still trying to get some companies to donate goods and services to the park.

“It is really going to be a nice park and great when it is completed. We think it will be one of the nicer parks in the valley,” James said. “We are pretty excited for it to be finished this summer.”



Source link