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Danes Park Rendering

Danes Park

Project Lead: Jake Powell

Fast Facts


  • Year: 2019
  • Client: Mantua City Parks Commission
  • Outcomes: Conceptual Site Plan
  • Status: Complete
  • Project Size: 0.75 acres
  • Project Scale: Site
  • Impacts: The design process created a final concept plan that was supported by the Parks Committee and won approval by the Mantua City Council in the spring of 2020. The concept plan for Danes Park is being used to guide volunteer efforts, donations, and city funding to construct the park. The park plan was used to secure city funding to being constructing the park as soon as the Fall of 2020.

Project Summary 

In order to gain community support and guide the future construction of two community parks, the Mantua Parks Committee requested assistance developing a concept plan for the area set aside for Danes Park. This effort allowed LAEP Extension to unify an undergraduate studio’s effort to provide a breadth of vision with LAEP Extension’s efforts to create a single, accepted concept plan the community could rally around and seek for grant sources and city funding to construct.

Project Description

The Mantua Parks Committee invited Utah State University Landscape Architecture students to assist in developing conceptual plans for 2 parcels of land set aside for future community parks. The Mantua City Parks Commission requested assistance to identify concepts that could lead to city council approval and future grant proposals. Students developed several design alternatives as part of the LAEP 3100 Recreation and Open Space course. These conceptual design alternatives were presented to Mantua community members in an open community meeting facilitated by LAEP Extension staff in November, 2019.

LAEP Extension staff took feedback from community members and started a design iteration process with the Parks Commission that refined the program, form, elements, and activities facilitated by each park. The intention of each design iteration was to enhance the design to better match the vision and input from the community

LAEP Extension worked on the Danes Park first due to its size and more refined program. This also provided an opportunity to establish a strong working relationship with the Parks Committee.