Along with the approval of the Wolf Creek development was a condition that the landowner must dedicate 42 acres for a new sports park on the southern end of town. After working on the design of the park, I felt that in order to have the room for everything we wanted we would need an additional 3 acres. Through my negotiations with the developer, he agreed to provide this additional property at no cost to the city. It’s valued at $542,000.

The park is now fully designed and virtually completed. It is in what we call the maintenance period, where we allow a few months for the grass to grow and to make sure everything works right. The design is spectacular. It includes 4 baseball/softball fields, with one being a championship venue with a stadium type feel. It has 4 soccer fields also, with one that is larger and more special. The park will have many other wonderful features including elevated observation points, walkways, picnic areas, tot lots, room for another recreation center, and much more. A key element will be that the soccer fields will have a revolutionary new playing surface that requires almost no maintenance and can be played on in any weather. It also substantially reduces injuries.