More parking has been approved for the popular Community Park at 1350 North 400 West. Already heavily used, the park is also getting a new playground which is expected to be installed this spring, along with eight new pickleball courts.

The bid for the new parking extension, which will include 60 to 65 new parking stalls, came in significantly lower than the city engineer estimates of $365,852.40. There were 11 bids on the project and the ultimate low bidder Dobe Construction in the amount of $252,900.33. 

“We received a lot of very competitive bids,” City Engineer Kevin Campbell told the city council on Feb. 18. “The bidding climate has been really pretty good this winter. We were happy with that and received probably double the amount of bids that we’re used to seeing for this type of project, so we got a very good price.”

Although Centerville has not worked with Dobe before, the company has excellent references, Campbell said.

The new parking is especially needed since the realignment of I-15, scheduled to begin in 2026, is expected to impact Community Park’s parking area, particularly along the west side, where the frontage road will be widened. As part of the project, the west shoulder and the park strip adjacent to the west parking lot will be eliminated, narrowing the available space for both vehicles and pedestrians.

During discussions on the pickleball courts project, some residents expressed concern about the reduced parking options since cars park on the frontage road all the time, Campbell said. “With the loss of parking along the frontage road, we would be in a situation where the community park is already at capacity in terms of parking, and adding the pickleball courts without addressing the parking issue could result in frustration for residents.” 

The new parking area should impact nearby homes only minimally, Campbell said. “We are trying to make sure the new construction won’t encroach too much on their properties. Our goal is to ensure that the park remains accessible while mitigating the impact of the I-15 realignment.”

Proceeding with the parking expansion will ensure that park-goers can have safe and accessible spaces as the realignment progresses, he said. 

City council members agreed.

“One of the biggest issues that I have heard from people is their biggest concern has been parking,” Councilmember Gina Hirst said. “So, you know, it is a heavily, heavily utilized Park. That was one of my biggest concerns about putting the pickleball courts at this park, was that not only do you have these sports going on on Saturdays, and it’s completely crowded and parking, like people are parked along that west side of the frontage road. So I think this is going to quickly become a very frustrating park, more so than it is now. My preliminary feeling as one council member out of five is to advise staff [to] include that in our spring time [projects].”

“We need to just be proactive and get the parking and I see too many cars that are parking on the frontage road, which is, to me, already a safety issue,” Councilmember Brian Plummer said. “We’re wrapping around into the Chase Lane Village, which I’m sure they don’t appreciate too much, and by that time, if you’re parking up on Chase, you’re walking a good distance just to get to where you’re going. So I think we should just do it and bite the bullet.

The project will be paid for from the city’s capital improvement fund.