Wichita's future Kingsbury park taking shape

(Wichita, KS) — The City of Wichita wants to turn a sand lot into a new recreational area. While the multi-million dollar project is years from being complete, we are getting a better look at what Kingsbury park could look like.

Land near K-96 and Hoover road may not look like much now. But city leaders say one day the land will be home to Wichita's newest water recreation hot spot.

Kingsbury park will be about 440 acres, with a 215 acre lake as the main attraction. It will also include a cable wake park for various water sports, a new amphitheater for entertainment and a large festival lawn for outdoor events, plus more.

"We have planned active recreational areas for canoeing, kayaking, rowing, a swimming beach," said Wichita Parks and Recreation Director Doug Kupper.

On Tuesday, Wichita City Council members took a closer look at the project, which has been in the planning process since 2001.

Right now, Cornejo and Sons is mining the city-owned land for sand to be used for construction materials. City leaders want to get designs in place now, so the area can be mined in a way to help shape the lake

"As they are doing the quarry operation, we actually get them to contour the lake and save us money going forward," said Wichita City Manager Bob Layton.

Council members postponed taking any action Tuesday to allow some newer members to get more details about the project. They will discuss it again on April 17th.

If all goes as planned, we could start using portions of Kingsbury park in as early as 5 years, but it will take 15 to 20 years to complete the entire project.

Estimates in 2010 suggested the entire project could cost between $60 to 100 million to complete. But the city is hoping to get corporate sponsorships to help pay for it.