The construction of the 50 acre park in Cheney appears to be moving right along. Not only do the construction crews feel they will come up under their budget, but they also hope to have the park finished by summer 2015.

“The 50 Acre Park property is one large urban park in the planning area that is not yet developed,” according to the Cheney Parks Plan. “It is important to recognize the great potential opportunity this location provides to the community and its surrounding area.”

A previous Easterner article explained the project had a rocky start with a delay in 2012 due to extreme weather problems, including intense rainfall, which affected the soils; however, the crews have moved past their first phase set-back and are striding strong this year.

The park is going to include three baseball fields and a restroom. But before the backstops can be erected and the restrooms built, the irrigation systems have to be set in place. This is the next phase of construction which is scheduled to begin in fall 2014, according to Director of Public Works Todd Ableman.

Ableman said that construction crews are “on schedule to finish within their June 2015 goal.”

They are dependent on the irrigation systems to be completed this fall for the next stage to begin. If all goes well this fall, the construction of the fields and restroom can begin in spring 2015.

As far as budgeting goes, Ableman also had optimistic views of finishing well under the $500,000 grant.

The 2014 Cheney Parks Plan details the demands and goals for the park project, outlining the difficulty in creating a new recreation facility. “Identifying recreation demand and needs is a very important part of a park and recreation plan. It is also a difficult task because many different variables influence public recreation participation.”

The parks plan says the department hopes to accomplish three goals through their parks department.

• “Maintain and improve Cheney’s parks and recreational opportunities on-pace with population and economic growth.
• Sustain and improve Cheney’s natural resources through sound planning, operational and implementation practices.
• Involve the community of Cheney in all local government planning and decision-making.”

The parks department noted that the underdeveloped land was a potential area to build a successful recreation facility and is well on their way to accomplishing the task.