City approves $2.8 M soccer facility likely to be used by
outsiders
Morgan Hill – The Redevelopment Agency has opted to build two artificial-turf sports fields despite questions over public access to the facilities.
The project will cost the city $2.8 million, but the state-of-the-art fields could be leased out to the California Youth Soccer Association who would get first dibs on using them on up to 40 weekends out of the year. The private soccer league will likely renew its agreement with the city for use of city-owned soccer fields on Condit Road when the current lease expires in December.
The land in question is a 38-acre soccer park consisting of 11 grass fields located by the Morgan Hill Aquatics Center. It was purchased by the city in 2000. Eventually the city would like to construct a full-blown sports complex on the site, consisting of soccer, football, baseball and softball fields in addition to other amenities such as a concession stand and a clubhouse.
Funding for the long-term vision has not been mapped out, but a plan to renew the redevelopment agency in November through use of property taxes recommends spending about $20 million to complete the facility.
Meanwhile, the construction of the two multi-use fields represents the first phase of the open-ended project.
While voting to approve the project Wednesday so it could be finished in time for the September 2007 soccer season, three of the voting members of the redevelopment agency – which consists of the five city council members – also raised concerns over the possible exclusive use of the two new fields by a private sports league. Teams belonging to the soccer association come from communities all over Santa Clara County, but would pay rental fees that would likely account for less than 7 percent of the new project’s yearly maintenance costs, according to city officials. The fields are expected to cost the city more than $100,000 per year to maintain – money that would come mostly from local taxpayers.
Councilman Larry Carr was the first to take issue with the possible scenario.
“If we’re going to fence off a field for one group, then that group should pay, as much as possible, 100 percent of the cost,” Carr said, adding he thinks the private soccer league’s lease agreement wouldn’t leave enough room on the calendar for other groups in the community to run sports programs on the attractive new fields, one of which will be marked for football.
Councilman Mark Grzan followed by saying he’d prefer the fields to be available on weekends for anyone who wants to “kick a soccer ball around.”
On the topic of cost-recovery, Morgan Hill resident Marby Lee, who is running for one of two at-large city council seats in the Nov. 7 election, asked the city’s elected officials why they would approve the multi-million dollar fields when cost-recovery strategies had not yet been finalized.
The question prompted Councilman Greg Sellers, who is running for reelection in the five-way city council race, to express a view that public services need not always pay for themselves.
“We need to break out of this box that everything needs to be cost recovery,” Sellers said, suggesting it shouldn’t cost “$1,000” for the fire department to come get a cat out of a tree.
“That’s not what we’re in the business of doing,” he said. “The council must appropriate tax dollars for the best public use.”
Mayor Dennis Kennedy, who favors the city’s new Aquatics Center and forthcoming Centennial Recreation Center, said good recreational facilities benefit public safety by raising quality of life.
“My personal thought is it’s OK if we don’t get 100 percent cost recovery,” he said.
The redevelopment agency unanimously approved building the fields after rejecting other design options including a recommendation by city staff members to build one field with lights and a clubhouse with bathrooms and a concession stand. The agency’s consensus was the $2.8 million should go toward building the most athletic space possible – even though who could use the fields is still up in the air for now.
Tony Burchyns covers Morgan Hill for The Times. Reach him at (408) 779-4106 ext. 201 or tb*******@mo*************.com.
