With heightened enthusiasm during her recent State of City address, Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi noted a number of people, places and things that make Provo “exceptional.”

On that list is the forthcoming 100-acre Regional Sports Park on the southwest side of the city by the new Provo Municipal Airport.

The sports facility will have 21 playing fields, walking paths, playgrounds, concessions and is expected to bring in millions of dollars in revenue, according to Kaufusi.

Added to the original plans is 45 pickleball courts for regional tournaments that will be the last to be completed, according to Scott Henderson, director of Parks and Recreation.

“It won’t be completed this year, but we are getting closer, and I can’t wait for our residents to finally have ample places to play field sports — 100 acres. This year, hundreds of kids were turned away from participating in our soccer program due to lack of fields,” Kaufusi said in her December 2022 year-in-review.

The park has already been seeing some drastic changes. The city finished lifting the site out of the flood plain by 6 to 10 feet, and substructures and infrastructure are being put in.

The wet winter has been helpful to the buildup, according to Henderson. “It’s adding to the compaction and helping set the soil for construction.”

Now it’s time for winter to move on so soil prep can be done for sand and dirt, then drainage.

Then, 100 acres of land will be flattened and made ready for turf to be put on in the spring of 2024, with the park possibly opening for play in the fall of 2024.

The regional park will have 21 flat fields for soccer, lacrosse, rugby and other sports for local, regional and national competitions and tournaments.

During 2023, the park land will have walking paths and a playground installed, outdoor concessions added, parking lots constructed and more.

Henderson said that according to data, the park should bring about $40 million a year to the economy and will attract more than 250,000 people who will need overnight accommodations.

One of the downsides to this is, currently, there are not enough hotel rooms in Utah County to support the numbers expected to come in.

Henderson believes this park will open with tournaments already scheduled. “We’re going to be a success story from the beginning,” he said.

“Before we started this project, we were being contacted by groups in the region — western U.S.,” Henderson added.

Henderson also mentioned the synergy between the park and the airport, as many teams will fly in chartered or private jets, as well as commercial vehicles.

“This will (positively) impact retail, restaurants and hospitality groups that were hurt during COVID-19,” he said.

With the need for hotels and restaurants, perhaps even next to or close to the park and airport, Henderson said he isn’t worried about the future of the site.

“I have great confidence in our local entrepreneurs,” he said.

He added that when most of the work is done and the grass comes up, that is when the city will be ready to play.

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