2 North Las Vegas parks slated to expand with $9.4M BLM grant

A pair of North Las Vegas parks will soon expand, with help from a $9.4 million grant awarded by the Federal Bureau of Land Management’s Southern Nevada District, city officials announced Wednesday.

The funds will be used to purchase two vacant plots of land near Craig Ranch Regional Park and another chunk of empty property near Kiel Ranch Historic Park.

“These land acquisitions will enable us to continue to meet the needs of our rapidly growing city and substantially increase recreational options for our residents,” the city’s parks director, Cass Palmer, said in a written statement.

Craig Ranch Regional Park, already spanning 170 acres at Craig Road and Commerce Street, will grow by nearly 26 acres, providing space for additional sports facilities, trails and other amenities.

The city will use the money to buy 20.57 acres of land near the northwest corner of the park, and another 5.34 acres abutting the southeast area of the park, North Las Vegas spokeswoman Delen Goldberg said.

Kiel Ranch Historic Park, which re-opened to the public in June with 7 acres, will nearly double in size when the city purchases a 6.81-acre private, vacant lot just west of the park.

The additional space will be used for playground and recreation equipment, along with further restoring the last remaining piece of the vast Kiel ranching empire established in the mid-1800s.

City officials are hoping to receive additional funds from the Bureau of Land Management to pay for improvements to the expanded areas of both parks, Goldberg said. The city’s Parks Department is developing a timeline to complete the projects.

Contact Art Marroquin at amarroquin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Find @AMarroquin_LV on Twitter.