Cedartown getting grant for soccer complex
Cedartown soccer players will soon have new fields to play on as the city looks to repurpose Goodyear Park as a new complex, and will have the state’s help to do so.
City officials received the good news from the state’s Department of Natural Resources that their Land and Water Conservation Grant to fund the Goodyear Park Soccer Complex will receive $87,000 from the state.
It’ll still be some time before work gets underway on the complex, according to City Manager Bill Fann, since officials will have to take part in workshops before a final grant agreement is settled between the state and the City of Cedartown.
He expected the actual construction on the project will begin in 2019.
“This is a 50/50 grant which means we will also have to fund $87,500,” Fann said by e-mail. “We’ll do that with recreation SPLOST.”
It was additional good news that State Rep. Trey Kelley got to forward along from DNR officials late last week following the city’s application for helping to fund the new soccer complex.
“I appreciate the city commissioners and their work on recognizing the need in the community,” Kelley said. “A few years ago we were able to secure funding for some revitalization efforts in Big Spring Park. We were always talking about what we can do to build up that part of our city. I think it shows great vision from the city commissioners to request these funds, and I was glad to help with DNR where I could to make sure that we’re going to get this $87,000 funded to make sure we bring this asset to our community.”
The city sought $100,000 from the state, and got most of what they asked for in a project that will be completed in phases.
Fann said the plan for the complex in the initial phase is to build two soc- cer fields and restroom facilities at the park, and then to go from there. Pre-fabricated concrete structures designed to withstand 150 mph winds will make up the men’s and women’s restrooms at the park in the first phase, with enough to several toilets and a sink in each bathroom.
Ultimately the complex looks to have four multi-sport youth fields, and a regulation-sized multi-sport field.
An estimated price tag of more than $680,000 has been projected for the complex, but Fann said he believes that estimate is high, since labor and equipment use in many cases can be provided by the city for much of the work needed.
Costs are estimated at $175,000 for the first round of the project.
It can’t get underway however until the state approves several items from the city. They’ll still have to submit a formal application to go to the Department of Interior’s National Parks Service for final approval, plus city officials will be required to take part in a 2 hour workshop this month only offered in two places. Additional documentation is also required to be forwarded to the state by March 23, and then a second deadline on March 29 for maps and a narrative of the past and future site uses.
The hope is to add more fields over time, along with a parking lot in between fields for parents and spectators to use instead of along the single roadway in and out of the park off West Avenue.