WASHINGTON CITY — A small crowd gathered for the ribbon-cutting of the new Shooting Star Park in the southeastern part of Washington City Friday afternoon.

Located at 1320 East Black Brush Drive amid incoming residential development, the Shooting Star Park is the first large park the city has built since the Sullivan Virgin River Soccer Park four years ago.

“To have a new city park open up is a good thing,” Washington City Councilman Troy Belliston said.

Building community parks is seen as a way to help raise and promote the quality of life for city residents, Belliston said.

“We want people to enjoy where they live and come out and gather as friends, family and neighbors and recreate in the city and enjoy the parks,” he said.

The park took five months to build and cost an estimated $1.23 million, which was covered by impact fees, said Barry Blake, the city’s leisure services director.

The new park will serve residents in a part of the city where not many parks previously existed, he said.

The Shooting Star Park has already proven popular with residents, Blake said, noting that it’s seen use even before Friday’s ribbon-cutting.

The park features a large grassy field, a playground, a basketball court, a pavilion with tables and two pickleball courts.

The city is building two other parks, including one at the Hell Hole Trailhead and one near the Boilers spring later this year. The Green Springs Park is also being expanded.

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.