By Travis Barton | [email protected]

West View Park is expanding.

The 5-acre park will see an additional 1.3 acres added after the West Valley City Council approved the purchase of land across the street.

Located on the northwest corner of 6000 West and 4100 South, West View Park will now have another field on the northeast corner of that intersection.

Just to the east of that property is Mountain View Corridor, where the city helped UDOT build a sports field with plans to link the field (5908 W. 4100 South) to the existing West View Park, but needed to obtain adjacent properties to do so.

Two years ago the city purchased property next to the trail system that runs through the area. The council’s approval sees the city purchase the additional 1.3 acres for $829,000.

“(The purchase) will allow us to extend West View Park even more and really complete the picture,” Nancy Day, parks and recreation director, told the council in April.

She added it will facilitate the use of the acquired sports field from UDOT to “connect all the pieces.”

Plans for the property include a ninja course adjacent to the trail along with a little more parking. But she clarified further development was contingent upon grant dollars and a ways into the future.

After recent plans to build a Wetland Park, the completion of the new Grasmere Park, construction starting on Rocky Ridge Park and a new bike park coming this summer to Centennial Park; Councilman Will Whetstone reiterated a concern he’s voiced previously about stretching resources too thin.

“I just want to make sure we’re not expanding beyond our capabilities to maintain these new parks we’re putting on,” he said.

He added he understands some of these plans, like for West View Park, are in the future, but wanted to make sure there’s a strategy that resources for maintenance would grow at the same rate as the parks.

Day said the council will get reports from her each year on items such as acreage per employee. She added they are always assessing their needs, looking at ways to attract potential employees as well as technology to lower the cost of maintenance.