Carson City Parks, Recreation & Open Space and Visit Carson City will celebrate about $11.2 million in park-wide upgrades at JohnD Winters Centennial Park with a ribbon-cutting at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, at the upper fields, 5400 Heritage Way.
The event will recognize improvements throughout the park, including four new synthetic turf fields that opened for play in June 2026. The ribbon-cutting is open to the public and will be followed by interactive sports and games on the new fields for all ages and abilities.
The reinvestment improves park infrastructure, visitor amenities and the park’s ability to host community use, local leagues, tournaments and special events. It includes four synthetic turf fields, new tennis courts, LED field lighting, new and upgraded restrooms, concession upgrades, drainage, landscaping and irrigation improvements, portable fencing and recreational trails. The new lighting reduces light pollution, while the turf extends the playing season and improves player safety and the quality of play for locals and visitors.
“We appreciate our partnership with Visit Carson City and are proud to make this investment in our capital city. Centennial Park is being transformed, with more upgrades on the horizon. From the new tennis courts and fields to a regional trail connection to Washoe Lake State Park, there is something for everyone,” said Jennifer Budge, director of Carson City Parks, Recreation & Open Space.
The turf fields were funded through Carson City general obligation park bonds, Quality of Life capital sales tax and capital improvement funds. In 2024, Visit Carson City pledged a portion of its transient occupancy tax to repay $5 million in general obligation park bonds over 20 years, directing tax paid by overnight visitors back into a facility that serves both Carson City residents and the destination’s sports tourism economy.
“This is exactly how tourism can give back to the community,” said David Peterson, executive director of Visit Carson City. “Our investment is focused on the turf, which strengthens our ability to bring in tournaments while giving local athletes first-class playing conditions. It sits within a much bigger reinvestment in Centennial Park, and together those improvements make the entire complex more useful, resilient and competitive for years to come.”
Visit Carson City and CCPROS have worked together for years to grow sports tourism in Nevada’s capital city. Under their interlocal agreement, Visit Carson City recruits tournaments and events that drive economic impact, while CCPROS manages facility reservations, operations and event logistics. Centennial Park has long been an anchor in that effort.
Centennial Park hosted more than 100,000 participants a year in tournaments, leagues and special events before construction began. The old grass fields were heavily used and weather and maintenance limited how much play they could handle. The new all-weather surface gives tournament organizers something they value: fields that are ready to play on and easy to schedule. The turf project will also save more than 8 million gallons of drinking water annually. Carson City parks maintenance crews reused all of the removed natural grass at the lower fields and in parks across the city.
The turf project went through two years of public review, including a Parks and Recreation Commission recommendation in 2024, Board of Supervisors decisions on design and infill, and a construction contract award in August 2025. Construction began in October 2025.
About Carson City Parks, Recreation & Open Space
The Carson City Parks, Recreation & Open Space Department strives to provide exceptional parks, open space and diverse recreational opportunities to enhance the quality of life for Carson City residents and preserve the city’s natural, cultural and historic resources for future generations. Learn more at www.carsoncity.gov/parksandrec.
About Visit Carson City
The Carson City Culture & Tourism Authority, doing business as Visit Carson City, is the destination marketing organization for Nevada’s capital city. It strengthens Carson City’s visitor economy through destination marketing, public relations, sports and event development, group sales and community partnerships. Learn more at VisitCarsonCity.com.
