PROVO -- Residents of a south Provo neighborhood filled the Municipal Council chambers last week to ask for a park.

It doesn't need to be big or fancy, Spring Creek residents said. They just need a small park on the south side of State Street, close to their homes, where families can gather and children can play.

"Please purchase land for this purpose while there is still land to be had," Whitney James asked the council.

James and the other residents who were there in support primarily live in condominium and townhouse complexes between 900 South and 1140 South and about 900 East to State Street. It is a dense, fairly transient area with many young student families. The closest large park is Bicentennial Park, north of State Street and more than a mile away.

"Lots of little kids and lots of moms but not a lot of grassy area for them to play," James said in an interview with the Daily Herald Tuesday. "We're not talking Pioneer Park, we just need like, some grass."

She and two other women from her complex, Sara Brunner and Natalie White, have joined with other parents to petition the council for grant money to buy land for a park. They know it might not happen soon and that the city's budget is tight this year, but they also believe it needs to be a priority.

Safety and recreation are not the only concerns the group has. White said many of the couples are newlyweds or have young children. The women, especially, are former BYU students who are used to having half a dozen roommates. The transition to family life can enhance the feelings of loneliness and isolation, she said.

"Now they have just have a husband, and when they have a baby they're even more lonely," she said.

Since all the mothers have started meeting to discuss the park, they have gotten to know each other better and their children love it, White told the council. Of course, they have to meet outside on little grassy areas that spill into the parking lots, which highlights the need for a park.

The group is working with Municipal Councilman Sterling Beck to get money allocated for a park. The Community Development Block Grant funds are federal money that only apply to certain neighborhoods in the city but could help fund a park in this neighborhood; James also has asked for about $2 million that has been allocated for Pioneer Park and if a small percentage of that could be reallocated their way. Even if the city does not build a park in the near future, they are asking that the money be allocated now so one of the few remaining empty lots in the area can be bought.

"We're just wanting to get it before someone throws some more condos on," James said.

Beck said this was a top priority for him, although he acknowledged the difficult budget position the city is in. If the CDBG funding does not work out, he wants to explore other opportunities as well.

"I have yet to meet anyone that's against the idea of putting a park over there," he said. "There is a real need for it, and I think that was clearly communicated."

Citywide Councilman Steve Turley, who lives in this neighborhood, said at the council meeting that he was in favor of this and met with several of the residents after the meeting to discuss it. He also owns an open lot in the neighborhood that could be a park, about which James expressed some reservations.

"He has a definite vested interest in some of the properties," she said. "We're trying to go the right way and work with Sterling Beck and the mayor and pull it away from being a personal issue with Steve Turley."

Turley (speaking as the councilman) said he will lobby for a park in his neighborhood and would step down from any voting or discussion if his property is considered, to let the council make the decision that is in the best interest of the city. Turley (speaking as the resident) said he had neighbors in his home until midnight Monday discussing various properties and the best ways to go about getting a park.

"You're talking about the park that my children would play in," he said. "I'm a big, huge supporter and fan."

• Heidi Toth can be reached at (801) 344-2556 or htoth@heraldextra.com.