After IVGID acquired the beaches and the public became aware of the District’s new public recreation powers, there was an organic push to use that power to construct parks and athletic fields¹. This push was fueled by the fact that Washoe County was conducting a county-wide public recreation study at the time intended to identify possible venues for development. In December of 1971 this push resulted in the creation of a local ad hoc Recreation Committee² consisting of thirty (30) concerned Incline Village citizens³. The Committee’s goal was to identify approximately fifty (50) acres in the growing community of Incline Village for possible park acquisition and development. And over the months which followed, the Committee made regular reports on its progress and recommendations to the IVGID Board.

At the top of everyone’s list was an approximate 5.2 acre plot of land at the corner of Tahoe Blvd. (Highway 28) near the turnoff onto Mt. Rose Highway (Highway 431) known as Preston Field⁴ (aka the “Field of Dreams“). Although Preston Field was owned by Boise Cascade Home & Land Corporation⁵ (“Boise Cascade”) at the time, it was used by the community as a bare bones Little League baseball field.

Over the next several years it seems as if IVGID staff entered into yearly serial agreements-after-agreement with Incline Village, Inc.⁶ as and for the former’s use of Preston Field each upcoming summer season. And apparently the costs associated with that use were covered by annual $3,000 contributions from Washoe County. Then in early 1975, the District undertook earnest pro-active efforts to purchase Preston Field from Boise Cascade outright⁷. And on September 18, 1975 an agreement was reached⁸. Although no purchase price, terms nor source of funds for the purchase were announced⁹, there are suggestions in the minutes of the Board’s October 9, 1975, October 30, 1975 and December 11, 1975 meetings, that the purchase price was $56,500⁹; and, the source of funds were the proceeds of Washoe County District 9 construction taxes¹⁰. Regardless, this purchase marked the District’s official foray into the public recreation business¹¹. And in the months which followed, IVGID caused construction of the field improvements we see today¹².

And so now you know!

1. Recall that when IVGID sought public recreation powers from the Washoe County Board of Commissioners (“the County Board”), its Board representative, Harold Tiller, expressly represented that if granted, this new basic power would not be exercised to acquire nor operate any of the many contemplated recreational facilities except pubic parks [see pages 159-160 of the packet of materials prepared by staff in anticipation of the Board’s May 27, 2020 meeting (“the 5/27/2020 Board packet”)] including the beaches. So considering the acquisition of public parks was in line with what had been represented.
2. At the Board’s April 26, 1973 meeting the Committee was formally recognized (see Resolution 1135) as a Board created Recreation Advisory Committee (see the minutes of the Board’s March 8, 1973 meeting).
3. See the minutes of the Board’s November 30, 1972 meeting.
4. Named after local resident Bruce Preston who along with Ron Cromwell were original volunteers in the construction of the field.
5. Crystal Bay Development Co. (“CBDC”) sold all of its remaining Incline Village properties but for the beaches to Boise Cascade on June 4, 1967 (IVGID wasn’t notified of the sale until May 13, 1968).
6. Boise Cascade’s Incline Village real estate development arm.
7. See the minutes of the Board’s May 8, 1975 meeting.
8. See the minutes of the Board’s September 11, 1975 meeting.
9. These minutes recite that $256,500 in construction tax monies was requested, however, only $200,000 was requested for a “lighted…multipurpose sodded field (with fencing,)…access and parking” improvements.
10. This is a tax on all Incline Village real estate development earmarked for park acquisition and improvement.
11. Recall that access to the beaches was private.
12. Notwithstanding, massive repairs and upgrades were constructed in 2012 (go to https://www.bjginc.com/What-We-Do/IVGID-Preston-Field/body_ivgid-preston-field.html).