The message from St. George residents was unmistakable as a resounding 63 percent of voters approved the General Obligation Trails, Parks, and Recreation Bond (G.O. Bond) on the November ballot. Your mandate was clear: expand and maintain the outdoor recreation opportunities available in St. George.

What is next with the bond? The $29 million in bond money will be issued in two installments over the next several years, which means it’s time to get to work. Here is an update on a few of the projects.

Sunbowl Renovations

The historic Dixie Sunbowl has a special place in our hearts. You feel a certain nostalgia thinking about warm evenings at the Dixie Roundup Rodeo, with cowboys riding saddle broncs and the smell of barbecued burgers wafting through the air. 

The Sunbowl is an iconic venue that needs additional, major improvements for it to become the economically viable, year-round facility we all envision. These improvements include new bleachers and a post-tension concrete floor to allow for a wider variety of events and greater usage. The design phase is in progress, and we are excited about the possibilities.

New Parks

Currently in the design phase, the long-awaited Las Colinas Park will serve the community just north of SunRiver and will have many great amenities. In addition to having a larger playground area than most of our neighborhood parks, there will also be a dog park within the park that will include space for both our larger and our smaller canine friends. This dog park will serve the southwestern portion of our city.

With input from the community, we are excited about the possibilities at Curly Hollow Park, just off Tonaquint Drive. The vision is for it to be an adventure-themed community park geared toward teens and pre-teens, with possibilities for climbing, paddle boarding, skateboarding, tennis, and pickleball. This park is also in the design phase.

Playground Replacement

The equipment used in an average playground is expected to last between ten and fifteen years, yet we have playground equipment in commission that was installed in the early 1990s. With that longevity comes challenges. One challenge is that replacement parts are no longer available for the older playground equipment. Another problem: these older playgrounds were not designed to be inclusive of people with disabilities.   

Revitalizing an older playgrounds costs an average of $500,000 to replace old equipment with new equipment and install shade and soft-fall surfacing. We have identified eight parks throughout the City that will receive new playground equipment. You will start to see them replaced beginning this year.