NORTH LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Ice Age Fossils State Park in North Las Vegas is almost ready to open its doors, this comes after years of delays.
The visitor center and the lot has been waiting for completion since the project first began back in 2017. A slew of funding problems, the pandemic, supply issues and rising construction costs all halted the project.
Now, thanks to a $3.5 million dollar grant from The Helmsley Charitable Trust, the visitor center and this new state park will finally be ready for visitors. Walter Panzirer, with the Helmsley Charitable Trust, says he saw this land a few months ago and knew they wanted to help! It will also help fund walking trails, install some shade for the hot months and add signage to the area.
The park will feature fossils and artifacts, as well as interactive exhibits.
Bob Mergell, the administrator for the state park says they're so excited for this next phase of the project.
"Our original plan was to kind of just put an office out here and get staff and then we got on site and realized we're going to have to have spots for people to get out of the heat," Mergell said. "Get inside, cool down, learn about the land and then explore on their own."
The park is slated to open at the end of the year.
