ADA COUNTY, Idaho — Despite cold temperatures and steady rain, dozens of people gathered Friday morning for the grand opening of the Park at Expo Idaho, a new 50-acre regional park on the Expo Idaho grounds.
The project transforms a portion of the county-owned property into a destination for recreation, featuring a nature-inspired playground, walking and biking paths, wetlands restoration, open green space, Greenbelt connections and a large all-wheel facility.
Among the first visitors were Casey Thornton and his family, who drove from Meridian to check out the park on opening day. "It's just a great park to take the kids to," he said.
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His daughters quickly found a favorite feature.
"It was so fun," Julia said about the park's zip lines. "I was really glad I got to go here on the zip lines, especially because it was my favorite part."
The opening marks the completion of Phase 1 of a project Idaho News 6 has followed throughout construction. The park replaces what was previously underutilized Expo Idaho property with recreation areas and restored natural spaces along the Boise River corridor.
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The roughly $42 million project was funded through federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars awarded to Ada County following the COVID-19 pandemic. County officials have said no local property tax dollars were used for construction.
Roller derby athlete Shayley Fisher from Kuna said she is ready to have a new place to play.
"It's a very niche sport, so there's not a lot of places that we can play," Fisher said. "Having an outdoor space dedicated to roller derby is just so cool, and I'm just so excited."
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Throughout opening weekend, visitors can explore the playground, all-wheel facilities, trails, wetlands and other amenities included in the first phase of the project.
Future plans call for Phase 2 improvements, including practice soccer fields east of Athletic Club Boise Stadium.
