Modesto moving forward on years-dormant plan for soccer fields in underserved community
The city has gone out to bid on its $1.1 million project to build two or three soccer fields and a parking lot in west Modesto, one of the city’s poorest, oldest and most diverse communities.
The California Department of Parks and Recreation awarded Modesto a $1 million grant in 2017 to build three soccer fields and the parking lot. But because of inflation, the city may end up with two fields.
If everything falls into the place — including bids coming in at costs the city expects — the soccer fields could be ready for use by summer 2024, according to Nathan Houx, the city’s park planning and development manager.
The soccer fields will be built in Tuolumne River Regional Park along John Street and between Hammond and Hays streets. The fields will be next to the two fields the Stanislaus Youth Soccer League built several years ago with the help of former Councilman Brad Hawn and others.
“That’s awesome,” league President Tony Martinez said about the city’s latest news on its soccer fields. But he said he hopes the project includes fencing to prevent people from dumping broken furniture and other junk at the fields. The league’s fields have fencing to prevent just that.
Martinez said the two soccer fields the league built can accommodate about half of the league’s players. The rest use other facilities. He said the league has about 1,000 boys and girls from ages 6 to 18.
Stanislaus Youth Soccer League started about a quarter century ago and many of its players and their families are from west and south Modesto, though Martinez said the league draws players from throughout the area.
Houx said the pandemic and city staffing shortage were among the factors that lengthened the timeline for this project. While the state grant is for $1 million, he said, the project is expected to cost $1.1 million. Houx said the city will use Tuolumne River Regional Park funding to fill the gap.
The project pays for building unlighted soccer fields with benches for spectators, a drinking fountain and the parking lot. The state grant did not pay for bathrooms. Houx said the city will rely on portables until it has the money to build permanent facilities.
The grant also did not pay for the project’s design. Hawn’s company, CHG Structural, and Modesto-based O’Dell Engineering did the design work at not cost to the city. Hawn, who is a civil and structural engineer, said in a text, “O’Dell deserves a trophy for volunteering on this one.”
This story was originally published February 13, 2023 at 12:32 PM.
