week of 4/3/02
 
 
 
  Work to begin on soccer complex
SMN
Haywood County is about to begin work on its first recreation park.

A groundbreaking ceremony will be held April 6 at 2 p.m. at the site of the soccer complex on Allens Creek Road. Work should start immediately and the entire complex will be open for use sometime in 2003.

“I just feel very privileged to have been involved in this project,” said Claire Stewart, the county’s recreation coordinator.

The 7.9-acre tract was provided to the county in a 30-year lease with APAC-Harrison Construction, which operates the quarry on Allens Creek Road. The lease costs the county $1 per year.

When finished, Phase I of the park will include seven soccer fields and a .3-mile walking track. Phase II includes the concession stand, bathrooms and a playground. The park will have up to 120 parking spaces.

When the land was first donated, county officials had to determine whether it would contain baseball fields or be a soccer complex. Statistics revealed a much greater need for a soccer facility, and at a public hearing overwhelming sentiment was for a soccer complex.

Stewart says one of the biggest benefits to the community, though, will be the paved walking track.

“Right here we are over a half mile from the nearest sidewalk,” she said. Many in the community have expressed an interest in the walking trail, said Stewart.

The work is being paid for with a $171,000 state Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant that the county will have to match.

In addition to the funding, several groups and individuals have helped. Architect Luis Quevedo did the initial site planning at no cost. The Waynesville Rotary Club will donate money for a pavilion. Donations are still being sought for landscaping and other work.

Stewart hopes that a lot of people will attend the ground breaking, including area youths who play soccer. After it opens, the complex will be available to civic clubs, school groups and other organizations for picnics and other events.