SPARKS — Nestled in a neighborhood in Wingfield Springs, residents can expect a new neighborhood park on Lepus Drive come spring.

At a cost of more than $317,000, the park will have grass fields, basketball courts and playground equipment. Construction will start sometime in the next 30 days and should conclude 60 days after that, according to Sparks Parks and Recreation Director Stan Sherer.

Sherer said the park will be paid for by impact fees collected from the neighborhood's home developers.

Each permit purchased by a developer from the city comes with a $1,000 tag-on that goes directly to building a neighborhood park, he said.

“The construction is triggered by the number of building permits pulled,” Sherer said, adding that no new home construction means no new neighborhood parks.

The developer just recently reached enough permits pulled to fund the new park.

“He met the threshold about six to eight months ago,” Sherer said, “but they were nearing that threshold when they started (building houses in the area.)”

The construction bid for the park was originally set high, offering potential contractors $400,000 to do the job. However, bidding was so competitive that the city landed a contract with Horizon Construction, Inc. which offered to build the park for a total of $317,559.18.

“I guess they are just trying to keep business going,” Sherer said.

While the new Bitterbrush Park will bring the total number of neighborhood parks to about 44, no new parks are planned for a while.

“No impact fees mean no park construction,” Sherer said.

Through the end of February, Sparks had issued 76 single-family home permits this year, according to Sparks Community Development Director Neil Krutz.