Ernest & Betty Becker Family Technology Center and Recreation Park

In the northwest area of the Las Vegas valley is a small 3.92 acre neighborhood park called Charleston Heights. Originally developed in 1981, the park is now severely underutilized. Its two tennis courts are cracked, the nets torn down long ago. The playgrounds are vacant of children. Although a small restroom building sits in the middle of the park, the lack of stall doors renders it unusable. And yet, the park is loved. Weekday afternoons bring life to the park as the nearby middle school lets out. A group of teens start a game of pickup basketball. Others practice skateboarding on the small plaza. Some simply pass through - cutting across the park is the fastest route from the school to the nearby housing developments. A weekend morning draws a different crowd. Dog walkers and early risers are eager to tell how long they’ve lived in the area, how long they’ve been coming to the park, how they love it despite its flaws. How they wish it could live up to its potential. The Bolden Area Command of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department heard these comments and took particular interest in bringing a second life to the park. Charleston Heights falls within their jurisdiction; therefore, they were very aware of the undesirable activities taking place in the neglected park. Rather than recommending the park be shut down or gated closed, Bolden urged the city to improve the park, specifically by giving troubled youth a place to go when they otherwise may have been out on the streets. The Becker Tech Center was born. Through outreach sessions with students at J. Harold Brinley Middle School and Cimarron Memorial High School, as well as local parents, teachers, and allies, a program began to take form. A maker space gives students access to 3D printers and fabrication tools, inspired in part by Cimarron’s award-winning robotics team. A multimedia room provides opportunities for podcasting, DJing, and video content creation. The esports room allows for a greater reach into the entertainment sphere, while a flex classroom offers crucial computer and life skills training to residents of all ages who lack proper access to these valuable resources. The park itself retains, but improves upon, its most beloved features. The aging basketball court is replaced by a low maintenance, durable, integral color concrete surface. Interactive, educational play features take the place of the outdated play structures. New shade structures dot the park, while a meandering, well-lit path weaves its way through it all. New additions put the park not just in line with, but ahead of, current recreation standards. WiFi access is provided to every corner for a connected experience. Infrastructure is provided for projecting movies, using the building itself as the screen, for movies in the park, as well as the integration of smart exercise stations. The Center is the culmination of the efforts of an entire community to bring to life a space they collectively take pride in.