Lindsay closing golf course

Council to consider making it a soccer sports park

The Lindsay City Council will consider Tuesday converting the former city golf course to a soccer sports park.

The City Golf Course costs the City of Lindsay nearly $44,000 per year to operate and receives little documented use, said City Manager Bill Zigler. He said council recognizes that the city is running a financial deficit and cannot sustain the recreation activity. Zigler said council, therefore, agreed to the closure of the golf course with its last day being Feb. 28 due to the resignation of its long-time operator.

Zigler said the city has $330,000 in Housingrelated Parks Program (HRPP) grant monies earmarked for minor improvements to the Olive Bowl/kaku Park complex. These HRPP funds, Zigler said, are required to be expended by June 1, 2018.

Zigler said part of the Olive Bowl improvements required the surveying and grading of the field areas. Zigler said City Engineer Jim Winton, who also provides the city’s survey work, passed away unexpectedly this past December, which delayed survey work, placing the project’s timing in peril.

Zigler said requests to the state for an HRPP Grant extension were disapproved. He said the money must be spent by June 1 or disencumbered.

Zigler said the state will, however, allow for the transfer of HRPP funds, all or part, to an alternate city recreation site.

Zigler said Lindsay’s residents have an active interest in soccer, with over 400 youth registered to 37 teams for the Lindsay Youth Soccer League in 2018, per League director Faustino Perez. Access to enough fields to accommodate this popular activity, Zigler said, has proven challenging.

With that knowledge, Zigler said staff has done some preliminary work, laying out scaled adult and youth soccer field templates over the existing golf course, resulting in two adult fields, three

youth fields and potentially one minifield for those under 8 years of age. Zigler said each adult field could accommodate two youth fields as well.

He said staff feels that this could be the highest and best current use of the recreation site.

“The development and operation of the complex could be revenue neutral while satisfying the needs of our residents engaging in this popular activity,” Zigler said.

Zigler said parking could be provided by the city parking lot adjacent to the Memorial Building, the triangle area bordered by Alameda, Parkside and Elmwood and potential parallel parking along Elmwood, Sequoia and Ono City. He said the Community Center could provide overflow parking as needed. He added that city restrooms are ADA compliant and additional portapotties could be used as needed.