Springs Preserve planning more kid stuff as it cuts costs

The Springs Preserve has always been kid-friendly, but now its educational programs are being changed to be even more kid-friendly.

The programs and classes aimed at adults are giving way to those aimed at children.

The tai chi classes are being eliminated. So are the "Untold Stories," a monthly history panel that drew a regular group of about 35 adults.

Scott Huntley, spokesman for the Las Vegas Valley Water District, which built the preserve at 333 S. Valley View Blvd., said the changes are designed to cut costs, eliminate duplication with other programs, and give the people what they want: more kid stuff.

"Seventy percent of our visits are by families with children," Huntley said. "We want to offer programs people will come to and use in numbers. It's about cost-cutting and efficiency."

The retooling is a work in progress for the preserve, which opened in June 2007 at a cost of $235 million.

In the first year, the dream and the reality didn't exactly jibe. People complained the entrance fees were too high and questioned why the water district spent $235 million to build a park/museum/preserve. If you build it, they may not come. And they didn't. At least not in the numbers anticipated.

The preserve opened with the stated goal of drawing 1 percent of the tourists who come to Las Vegas, which would have been 375,000 people. It wasn't to be.

The preserve officials eventually realized it wasn't going to be a tourist magnet and attendance projections of 600,000 people a year were simply unrealistic. Breaking the 200,000 mark is now viewed as a positive.

But it's growing as a site for community events. As more people experience it, it's gaining members, Huntley said. There were six community events the first year. This year, there are 27. The biggest attraction is Winter Lights, which drew more than 18,000 people during the holiday season. The biggest single draw was the Mexican holiday, the Day of the Dead, which brought in more than 5,000 people on one day.

On Monday, the Big Springs Gallery opens a photography exhibit by the late noted Nevada artist Cliff Segerblom, whose watercolors and photography of Nevada scenes won him a national reputation.

On Saturday there's the Cirque du Soleil-sponsored fun run/walk, a great opportunity to see those fabulous costumes (and bodies) up close.

Other events this year include a Fourth of July concert. Then there's a beer and wine festival. (OK, not everything is aimed to draw out the tykes.)

The latest program cuts come on the heels of the layoffs in January of 11 of the 74 workers, most middle management, to save $600,000 year.

The initial bad rap was that the entrance fees were too high. After first defending the cost, officials caved in April. Nevada adults now pay 10 bucks instead of 15. A kid pays $5 instead of $7. And a family pass for a year is $60, not $75. Often forgotten is that all the stuff outdoors, the walking paths, the kiddie playground, the demonstration gardens, are free.

Despite the economy, Huntley said, the sale of family passes began increasing in the fall. People come for an event, enjoy it, and buy a pass.

The Springs Preserve has its critics, those who object to the water district building and subsidizing a park/museum and restaurant.

Count me as a fan. I go there. I use it. I enjoy it. And yes, I know I'm paying for it. Yet some days, it provides that most precious of gifts, a peaceful place.

It's been open nearly three years now. Have you been there yet?

Jane Ann Morrison's column appears Monday, Thursday and Saturday. E-mail her at Jane@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0275. She also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/morrison.