Boise had big plans for new parks, trail improvements this year. Here’s what will happen
Boise Parks and Recreation officials started the year with big plans for improvements at existing parks, as well as a new downtown green space. By mid-April, most projects were still on track, while others were delayed due to coronavirus concerns and permitting issues.
Doug Holloway, director of Boise Parks and Rec, said in an email in January that spring would be a busy time for the department, with plans to formally dedicate the new Military Reserve Dog Park and J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation Bike Park in March or April. Holloway also said at the time that the department would start to “green up” several new parks around the city, adding irrigation, turf, pathways and parking.
Many of the projects are already underway. Greenbelt users may have noticed construction on the south end of Quinn’s Pond, where new landscaping will create tiered boulder seating along the Boise River, as well as grassy areas and a pollinator garden as part of Bernadine Quinn Riverside Park.
Parks and Rec has also constructed a pond at Spaulding Ranch Park, a historic site on the West Bench that the city plans to use, in part, as an urban farm. Holloway said last week that the department plans to plant fruit trees as part of the first phase of the farm.
Construction is also continuing at Kathryn Albertson Park, one of the “Ribbon of Jewels” parks along the Boise River. An upgrade, including new boardwalks and a revamped entry plaza, has been in the works for several years.
The department has plans to move forward with several other construction projects in the late spring and summer, Holloway said last week. Those plans include a bridge and nature pathways at the Golda Harris Nature Preserve in Harris Ranch; groundbreaking at Alta Harris Park in southeast Boise, which will include restrooms and a shelter; a playground at Phillippi Park on the Bench; and restrooms at Redwood, Riverside, Bowden and Cottonwood parks.
Holloway said the addition of parking and restrooms at the Hillside to Hollow Reserve off of Bogus Basin Road has been delayed slightly by “permitting issues.” Construction could start as early as this summer, according to Holloway.
Two other projects have been delayed.
Renovations on the Gene Harris Bandshell, which was damaged in a fire two summers ago, were supposed to be completed this spring. Instead, the project at Julia Davis Park likely will be finished by July at the earliest for “COVID-19-related” reasons, Holloway said.
Construction at Westside Park, a green space in a former parking lot at 11th and Bannock streets in Downtown Boise, was supposed to begin this spring or in early summer. Holloway said groundbreaking for the park has been pushed back until next year.
“After numerous conversations between our partners with the Capital City Development Corp. and Rafanelli & Nahas, and the design and construction teams, the consensus was to hold off on construction until February of 2021,” Holloway said.
Boise parks and the Greenbelt have remained open during the coronavirus pandemic, with walkers and bicyclists urged to follow social distancing rules and other safety measures. Playgrounds in the parks have been closed.
This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 1:20 PM.
