West campus news Releases Archive

The collaborative efforts of government, university and community partners will come together at 4 p.m. April 14 as ground is broken for a 40-acre community park at ASU's West campus.     

The community park is a $3 million joint project with Arizona State University and the city of Phoenix and its Parks and Recreation Department; the Local, Regional and State Parks Heritage Fund; and the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority.

The first phase, which is slated to be completed later this year, includes development of two irrigated grass sports fields—one for soccer and one for general use—as well as basic infrastructure work including well upgrades and supply lines, on-site and off-site utilities, mass grading of the site, parking, restrooms, sidewalks and lighting.

The park will be built at the southwest corner of the campus—51^st and Sweetwater avenues.

“ASU has developed a culture of supporting community partnerships and we pride ourselves on being an integral part of the communities we serve. This park will have a great quality-of-life impact for ASU’s West campus, especially now that the campus has evolved into a full-service, four-year university with student residential facilities,” said Mark Searle, ASU vice president and provost at ASU’s West campus.

Initial discussions between ASU and the cities of Phoenix and Glendale for the park began in 1993. Community planning began in earnest in 1995 when a task force led by members of the recreation and tourism management department at ASU’s West campus was convened to carry out a need assessment. A community survey showed that 91 percent of respondents supported the project.

Following a feasibility study, revision of the campus master plan for approval by the Arizona Board of Regents and public meetings, the need was well documented in a November 2001 long-range Phoenix Parks, Recreation and Library Plan. That plan spotlighted a park deficiency in the geographic radius of ASU’s West campus, showing that the nearest community park was more than 1.5 miles from the campus, exceeding the formula considered acceptable by the National Recreation and Parks Association.

Funding to complete the design and development of the park’s infrastructure was secured through contributions from the city of Phoenix and a $500,000 grant from the Local, Regional and State Parks Heritage Fund, which is funded by the Arizona Lottery and administered by the Arizona State Parks Board.

“Multi-use projects, such as this, are extremely important to us since they provide the community with additional avenues to serve varied interests and activities,” said Ted Ferris, president and CEO of the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority. “ASU has done a superior job of securing several partners to help leverage our $150,000 contribution into a larger, more comprehensive project for the benefit of the neighborhood.”

The second phase, as yet unfunded, will include construction of specific sports facilities and amenities including a second soccer field; two softball fields; basketball, tennis and volleyball courts; a playground; and picnic areas.

A third phase will add a recreation center and an amphitheater which, according to Searle, will serve as valuable space for the Interdisciplinary Arts and Performance Department housed in the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at ASU’s West campus. The department will be able to offer many additional cultural and recreation opportunities for the public.