Ivins • Ivins’ popular Heritage Park is caught in a tight squeeze as the town looks to expand the adjacent fire station.

The proposed expansion pits a need for upgraded fire services against the fast-growing community’s desire to protect its park space and history.

A $2 million donation from local philanthropist Geoff Schmidt to expand the 90 W. Center St. fire station turned the project from a pipe dream into a possible reality. However, the project would cut 40 feet into the south end of the 5-acre park, destroying several trees, nearly an acre of green space and potentially a baseball field, according to city officials.

For some, like former Ivins City Council member Cheyne McDonald, the tradeoff does not seem worth it. He wants the city to use the $2 million donation to build a new station elsewhere rather than sacrifice any of the existing park.

“Once you use up a park, you are never going to get the park back,” said McDonald, who lives across the street from Heritage Park. “As our community grows … its population and density goes up and the size of the park keeps going down.”

The park holds deep roots in the community. Founded roughly a century ago as Ivins City Park, the popular spot was renamed Ivins City Heritage Park in 2021 to honor the town’s 13 founding families. Today, it anchors the community by hosting Ivins City Heritage Days, youth baseball and summer water bashes, among other events.

In 2021, the opening of the current 15,000-square-foot Ivins City Hall replaced some open lawn on the park’s northwest side. Ivins City Manager Chuck Gillette said some residents now worry more of the park will be lost if the fire station is expanded and further upgrades are needed.

“That’s why we have tweaked the design of the fire station to add a basement that would give us more space,” he said, adding that it would safeguard against pushing further into the park.

A search for balance

Currently, Ivins City Council members are mulling two options for the park’s lower end to accommodate a larger fire facility: shortening and reconfiguring the baseball field or replacing it with more general-use greenspace that would be anchored by a performance stage affixed to the north side of the station.

Parks and Recreation Director Marc Christensen said deciding between the two is a tough call.

“This was the first baseball field in town,” he said. “Tons of people have told me they grew up playing on this field, and now their kids and grandkids play on this field.”

If the fire station is expanded, Christensen added, it would require the field to be shortened, rendering it unsuitable for adult play and likely limiting its use to younger Little League-age groups.

The alternative option would involve converting the dirt infield into grass and regrading the hillside into a gentle slope, creating an amphitheater-like setting. “It would then become more of a community park and less of a special interest park, at least on that lower end,” Christensen explained.

City officials say the proposed changes to the park are based on necessity. A larger fire station, they said, is needed to keep pace with the town’s growth and the growing demand for emergency services. At 19,100 square feet, the revamped fire station will more than double the size of the current facility, adding drive-through bays built for full-size engines and ladder trucks, according to Chief Dan Cazier.

City Council member Wayne Pennington is open to ditching the ball field, provided the city secures space for a diamond and open play elsewhere. He also wants Heritage rezoned as a park to reassure residents worried about future encroachment.

“That would ensure that if anything about the park was to change in the future,” he continued, “it will require a public hearing.”

For longtime residents like Jean Frenette, the dilemma is deeply personal.

“I would really like to keep the field for my 15-month-old son as he grows up,” he said, “but I know how important a larger fire station is for all of us.”

Christensen said the council has no deadline for a decision on the two options for the park, as the timeline depends on securing the necessary federal grants and donations to fund the $5 million fire station expansion.

Correction • July 15, 4:40 a.m.: This article has been updated with the correct spelling of Geoff Schmidt’s name.