Lone Mountain Regional Park Area II

JW Zunino Landscape Architecture

This view of Lone Mountain Regional Park Area II is looking east from the west side of the park to the Las Vegas Valley, a 600 sq. mile basin that encompass the three largest incorporated cities in Nevada (Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson), and six unincorporated cities (Enterprise, Paradise, Spring Valley, Sunrise Manor, Whitney and Winchester). In 1990, the metropolitan area population was at 741,459; over the next 20 years, the population grew to about 2 million people.

Lone Mountain Park afforded JW Zunino Landscape Architecture an opportunity that is seldom encountered by landscape architects"?u to preserve, restore and protect the integrity of valuable natural landscapes.

The site encompasses 371 pristine acres that include Lone Mountain itself and the surrounding park areas here in Clark County Nevada. JW Zunino Landscape Architecture completed the master plan documents for Lone Mountain Park in 2002, which included protecting the majestic mountain from development.

The master plan was conceived after nearly three years of ongoing staff and multiple open public input meetings initiated by mailers to all the adjacent residents. County staff also provided their professional input and expertise throughout the planning. The master planning for is regional facility incorporates 11 areas to facilitate an array of recreational, educational and social opportunities for those in the northwest and neighboring areas of the Las Vegas Valley.

JW Zunino Landscape Architecture, in coordination with GC Wallace Companies (civil engineering) and TJK Consulting Engineers (electrical) designed six tournament quality tennis courts and four basketball courts. Post-tensioned slab construction was used, which involves centering half-inch sheathed tensioned cables in the concrete and anchoring them to perimeter beams. While the concrete is curing, the cables are tensioned in both directions to pull the concrete together. After the courts cure, the surfacing and lines are applied. This method is used to increase durability and resistance to cracking. The tennis and basketball court surfacing is Plexipave, an acrylic latex with a substrate blend of latex, rubber and plastic particles for resiliency. The sports lighting is "Aeropro' (LSI Industries). Precast concrete benches and trash receptacles (Quickcrete) were incorporated in the design.

With the master plan in hand, Clark County commissioned JW Zunino Landscape Architecture to develop a five-acre phase known as "Lone Mountain Children's Discovery Park," which was constructed in 2006. This multilayered interactive learning environment was designed primarily for children and their families. It accommodates passive and active recreational activities, way-finding elements and picturesque backdrops of the park and neighborhoods, which are known for their rural character and charm. The Lone Mountain Children's Discovery Park is just one of the 11 programmed portions of the park's master plan. The park offers aided and self-guided educational opportunities for children from elementary through middle school. The park also provides a sampling of varied subjects that span the gamut of elementary school and middle school curricula. To balance the more educational qualities that are incorporated into this park, an ample amount of open space and more traditional active recreational opportunities was provided.

Complementing the surrounding residential neighborhood is a desert-adaptive plant palette "?ulantana (right) and Dasylirion Wheeleri (foreground)"?uthat, throughout the park, maintains low water usage, provides for better establishment and survivability rate of plant material and blends the site into the surrounding landscape. The tree choice here is Allee elms, a good shade choice; the cultivar tolerates the heat and wind.

Lone Mountain, at roughly 600 feet high, is nature's centerpiece for this regional park and a popular hiking destination. To maintain its pristine character and preserve it for future generations the mountain will remain largely unchanged. Only pathway trail improvements during future phases will be looked at, and these will be discussed in depth prior to any low-impact construction taking place. This expansion of the Lone Mountain master plan had been planned for years, but the county had to wait for the realignment of the 215 Beltway to determine boundaries before construction documents could be initiated. County parks improvements are often paid with federal money from Bureau of Land Management land sales and county capital funds. The county coordinates with sites to avoid duplicating amenities at adjacent parks. The county's long-term minimal goal is to provide at least 2.5 acres of park per 1,000 residents.

The landscape architects developed onsite native areas for drainage retention, which involved revegetating native species for ground water filtration, employing erosion control techniques (arroyo retention, native rock) and incorporating low-water drip irrigation. Rock in the arroyo is 8-14-inch "Apache Brown' rip rap.

In 2010, JW Zunino Landscape Architecture was commissioned to design and develop "Lone Mountain Regional Park Area II," a 21.5-acre site on West Lone Mountain Road, Las Vegas. Today, the site provides a wide variety of recreational opportunities. There are four post-tensioned concrete basketball courts and six concrete post-tensioned tennis courts; all are lit for night play.

For those who don't want to run around, there are other facilities: seven bocce courts with individual shaded spectator areas; seven horseshoe pits built to tournament standards; miles of walkable pedestrian trails; 2-5 and 5-12 age group playgrounds with a large tensile fabric shade structure; and nearly seven acres of natural and mounded turf areas bordered by 11 small group picnic areas and one large group Ramada area.

Clark County, Nevada Commissioner Larry Brown officially opened the Lone Mountain Regional Park Area II in October 2012. The restrooms (background) are close to the playgrounds and have a standing seam roof (Noorda Sheet Metal, Co.).

Accessibility is an integral part of the park. The playground equipment allows children of many different abilities to enjoy the play. There's are zero curb parking lots in key locations, multiple new restroom buildings, trail lighting, a drainage channel and a native revegetation landscape that used relocated and other native plants.

A key conservation element throughout is the use of water saving techniques and onsite ground water recharge where possible. This has been accomplished in this harsh desert climate through the use of appropriate plant materials that highly favor natives, use of low-flow drip irrigation and drainage into onsite planting beds.

In addition to the park's multi-age play structures, there are shade structures, poured-in-place safety surfacing, drinking fountains and concrete benches.

Lone Mountain Park's hillside location provides panoramic views of the bustling Las Vegas Valley, and sweeping views of the Spring Mountains. The dramatic verticality of Lone Mountain is the unmistakable park locator and way finding element for park users. As Las Vegas grows and develops the county is experiencing loss of the natural landscape, and confronting challenges involving costs and access. That is why this park is such a special place.

The park's European flair is present in the bocce courts, for those less inclined to participate in the park's more strenuous activities (basketball and tennis) under the desert sun. The bocce courts have a "Red Diamond' 2mm infield mix (Kalamazoo) of sand and clay: sand for drainage; clay to reduce erosion and dust control. The metal and fabric shade structures are from Killer Shade, Inc.

JWZ's focus was on sustainability and being sensitive to the natural landscape. Throughout the park the landscape architecture firm used native and desert appropriate plants; employed low-water irrigation and water harvesting techniques; used recycled materials, products and native rock and groundcovers; plus durable and vandal-resistant products that will provide a safe, fun, and long-lasting park for thousands of Las Vegas residence and visitors.

A pristine southwest gem, Lone Mountain dramatically rises 600 feet higher above the park and is the centerpiece of this Clark County Regional Park. Perimeter fencing, meandering pathways, native plant materials, low flow drip irrigation systems and multi-use playing fields were incorporated to enhance the user's experience and complement the surrounding residential neighborhood.

Design Team
JW Zunino Landscape Architecture
GC Wallace Companies
TJK Consulting Engineers
Suzana Rutar Architecture
Client: Clark County Real Property Management
General Contractor: Gothic Landscape

Palo Verde (Cercidium x "Desert Museum') trees and lantana ("New Gold' and "Purple Trailing'), plants that like heat and don't require much water, decorate the meandering walks. The park trail is about a mile long and ties into regional trails to the north and south. The pedestrian-scale pathway lighting is the "Patriot Small' (LSI Industries), which has pulse start metal halide lamps in a horizontal orientation, flat lenses and full cutoffs.

Vendors
Basketball and tennis courts (post-tensioned slab construction): Tennis and Track Co.
Boulders, rip rap, decomposed granite: Kalamazoo Materials
Court surfacing: Plexipave
Drinking fountains: Haws
Fencing (perimeter) Aegis II Genesis: Ameristar Fence Products
Fencing (chainlink): American Fence Co.
Flagpole: LA Steelcraft
Irrigation (CCU): Rainbird Maxicom
Irrigation emitters and drip tubing: GPH
Irrigation pump: John Deere
Metal and fabric shade structures: Killer Shade, Inc.
Monument boulder (Meta-Quartzite): Las Vegas Rock, Inc.
Monument signs (Concrete): Quickcrete
Monuments sign (Lighting): Nevada Sales Agency
Picnic tables, benches, trash receptacles & BBQs: Quickcrete
Playground equipment: Playworld Systems and Big T Recreation
Restrooms (standing seam roof): Noorda Sheet Metal, Co.
Trench Grates: Ironsmith

The central plaza opens onto a mounded turf play area, bordered by meandering pathways and native plants. Turf was requested by the client. The landscape architect specified Tifway II hybrid bermuda.