BOISE, Idaho — Boise Parks and Recreation broke ground Thursday on a major renovation project at Veterans Memorial Park in the West End, bringing new amenities to one of the city's most popular recreational spaces.
The $660,000 project will add an 18-hole disc golf course, ADA-accessible pathways, and a nature playground to the already well-used park.
"It's just our favorite park, it's got the most amenities," said Shayna Fields, a Boise resident who frequents the park with her family.
Fields expressed excitement about the upcoming nature playground addition.
"That sounds awesome! I think he will really enjoy that. Especially getting his hands involved," Fields said.
The upgrades align with the city's goal of ensuring every Boise family lives within a 10-minute walk of a park. Mayor Lauren McLean highlighted the park's accessibility during Thursday's groundbreaking ceremony.
"Nearly 4,000 folks can walk to this park within 10 minutes," Mayor McLean said.
WATCH: What the new features will bring to the West End neighborhood park
While many residents welcome the improvements, some park visitors expressed concerns about potential noise and larger crowds that the new amenities might bring.
Boise Parks and Recreation Director Doug Holloway addressed the concerns, explaining that the design choices help keep the park balanced.
"We still have areas of the park that are very, very secluded. Holloway said. “And then we strategically located the disc golf course away from some of the areas that we know are popular areas where people do that more passive type of recreation."
Holloway emphasized that despite the upgrades, the park's overall character will remain unchanged.
"So even though there will be some adjustments to some of the vegetation that we have here, for the most part, you're not going to see a lot of difference in what's going to be occurring here," Holloway said.
The city has already begun infrastructure and security improvements, starting with new light posts.
The new park features are expected to open in 2026.
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