Valley View Park Basketball Courts

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Valley View Park is a newer 80-acre community park located near Jordan Creek Mall in West Des Moines. After building an aquatic center, the City of West Des Moines was ready to start adding more amenities to the park. Phase 1 involved the addition of two basketball courts.

Site design of the one-acre project required shifting the location of the courts from the park’s master plan and creating natural berms and plantings around the courts to keep basketballs from rolling into the street. The two full-size courts are separated by benches and a pedestal with a push-button activator that controls the two Musco LED sports lights. An orange light on top of the pedestal blinks to let users know the timer for the lights is running low. The pedestal also has outlet receptacles so players can charge their phones or put up scoreboards.

Designers worked closely with the City on the materials used to build the asphalt basketball courts. Minerals from outside of the state were shipped in that will increase the courts’ lifespan compared to when Iowa aggregate is used. Sidewalk connections were added from the courts to the parking lot and to the rest of the park.

The basketball courts were the first of several amenities to be added to Valley View Park, one of the largest community parks in West Des Moines. With natural barriers instead of fencing and push-button lighting, players can use the courts at any time, making it a true benefit to the community.