This October, much of Park City's community calendar points to one address, 6801 N. Hydraulic. Hap McLean Park is where a 5K turns around, where the city takes brush and limbs, and where the Fall Festival sets up. Three Friday nights of BMX racing also run there. The city is taking bids right now on a rebuild of that same park, which the Wichita Eagle put at roughly $7.4 million. The bid documents call for removing existing pavement, buildings, trees, shelters and lighting. If construction starts on the projected date, this is likely the last fall these events use the park as it looks today.
From the Silverton Street area, the park is about a mile and a half west-northwest. That's close enough that the construction, and whatever replaces it, will be part of the drive past for a long time.
October's dates, nearly all at one park
Here is the month in order. Every item comes from a city notice, the race registration page or the track's own schedule.
- Chisholm Trail Community Color Run, Saturday, Oct. 3, 9 a.m. to noon. The 5K goes from Chisholm Trail Elementary to Hap McLean Park and back. The city posted temporary street closures for the event on Sept. 29, so plan any Saturday morning driving around it.
- Park City BMX races, Fridays, Oct. 2, 9 and 16, with practices Oct. 6, 13 and 20. The track is listed with USA BMX at the park's address. Jamie Johnson and Jordan Kieffer are the track contacts.
- Brush & Limb Day, Saturday, Oct. 17, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Drop-off is at the west end of McLean Park and accepts brush and tree limbs only.
- Document Shredding Day, also Oct. 17, 9 a.m. to noon. This one is across town in the City Hall parking lot at 1941 E. 61st North, so one Saturday morning covers both errands.
- Trunk or Treat, Friday, Oct. 23, 5 to 7 p.m. The Park City Chamber of Commerce and the library co-host it in the library parking lot, with candy, crafts and family activities.
- Fall Festival, Saturday, Oct. 24, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Hap McLean Park. The city sums it up as "Music • Food • Fun." The city hasn't published a vendor list or a schedule of activities yet.
The Hap McLean DGC disc golf course isn't on this list because it doesn't follow a calendar. It's an 18-hole public course, open since 2016, and you can play it any day the weather allows. UDisc reviews from March and April of this year mention construction affecting holes 2, 3 and 15. Those reviews are months old, so check before you count on a full 18.
How one park became the default venue
Hap McLean Park started in the 1960s as a small community center with basic park amenities. Today it has a BMX track, the disc golf course, Little League fields, an 80-by-120-foot roller skating rink, a skate park, covered shelters, playgrounds and an upgraded community center. The park also grew by 29 acres recently, after the city bought more land.
Assistant City Manager Dana Walden told the Wichita Eagle in June that "McLean Park is our historic park. It's kind of a hub." The money behind the current changes comes from Park City's local-option sales tax, which took effect in 2023. Walden said the tax has helped hold down property taxes, improve roads and add walking paths. It also paid for the $7.5 million aquatic center that opened at the park this year.
The aquatic center had its soft opening May 30 and 31 and was scheduled to close for the season Aug. 1. That means the newest building in the park is closed during this month's events. It has a splash pad, water slides, a climbing wall and three separate water areas.
The redesign is the second big project on the same park. With the aquatic center at $7.5 million and the redesign estimated at about $7.4 million, the two add up to nearly $15 million, and the city's plan puts most of that money into one property. Walden also said all eight of Park City's parks will get upgrades in the years ahead. McLean comes first.
What the bid documents say stays, comes out and gets added
This is where the change gets concrete. The Eagle's June report lists the features expected to stay. The project description posted with the September bid round lists what gets removed and what gets built. Put together, they look like this:
| Status | Features |
|---|---|
| Expected to stay | Aquatic center, community center, BMX track, 18-hole disc golf course, Little League fields except the front one, roller rink, skate park |
| Slated for removal | The ball field at the front of the park; existing pavement, utilities, buildings, trees, park shelters and lighting covered by the bid's demolition scope |
| Planned additions | Pickleball and basketball courts, sand volleyball, an amphitheater, a dog park, a new play structure, cabanas, a walking park, new shelters, a prefabricated restroom building, parking, signage and park lighting |
The two sources don't fully agree on shelters. The Eagle said covered shelters would remain. The bid scope lists demolishing existing shelters and building new ones. The likeliest reading is that some shelters get replaced, but neither document says which ones. If you've reserved a particular pavilion for years, ask the city about it before planning next year's gathering.
Walden told the Eagle a new ball field might be added toward the back of the park to replace the front one, but those details weren't settled in June.
The amphitheater is the addition most tied to this month's calendar. For now, events like the Fall Festival use the park's open space. The plan gives the park a permanent performance venue.
The timeline, with its soft spots marked
The schedule has already moved once. In June, the Eagle reported that bid requests would go out July 21 and a winning bid would go to the City Council on Aug. 25. That didn't happen. The city posted a new notice on Sept. 18 saying bids were open, and the bid portal shows them closing Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 3 p.m. No contract has been awarded as of today.
The price isn't settled either. The Eagle reported the city's estimate as about $7.4 million, while ConstructConnect, a construction-project listing service, shows a value of $4 million. The winning bid will settle the actual number.
The same ConstructConnect listing projects a start date of Dec. 7, 2026. The city hasn't confirmed that date. The Eagle reported that the work could take 12 to 18 months once it begins. If the December date holds, construction would run into roughly December 2027 at the short end and mid-2028 at the long end. That means the Fall Festival and the October brush drop-off would likely happen during construction next year, and the 2028 event could be the first in the finished park.
No phasing plan or closure schedule for individual features has been published. Nobody knows yet whether BMX nights, disc golf rounds or skate sessions will be interrupted, or for how long. Bid documents are public before an award, but phasing usually gets worked out with the contractor who wins. Watch the council agendas after Oct. 6.
After October, the calendar moves indoors
The city's dates for November are at other venues. "Generations: A Girl's Day Out" runs Nov. 15 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Park City Senior Center. It's free, with vendors, treats, crafts, jewelry and a photo booth.
The Community Relations Board's 2026 schedule lists a Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony for Nov. 28. The schedule gives no time or location, and the city hasn't posted those details yet.
Park City also has a bigger events calendar coming on the other side of town. Kustom Entertainment signed a multiyear agreement to bring Country Stampede to Gilley's starting in 2027. Kustom CEO Stan Ross estimated the festivals there would draw about 200,000 more visitors to Park City each year. The Eagle linked that agreement to the same local-option sales tax that funds the park work.
Back at Hap McLean, the next three weeks hold a 5K turnaround, three Friday race nights, a Saturday brush drop-off and a four-hour festival, all in the park's current layout. Bids close Oct. 6, and the city hasn't yet announced who will build the redesign or when work will start.
When the redesign takes shape, people who live nearby will want to know what a bigger park, an amphitheater and a new dog park mean for their part of Park City. Nancy Jo Statton has helped Wichita-area families through changes like this for 37 years, and she's glad to talk it over at your pace. Nancy Jo Statton can walk you through what the McLean Park project could mean for your home. Let's Connect.
