A south Merced, CA. regional sports complex is moving toward groundbreaking next year, bringing more soccer, football and other recreation opportunities to this location on the corner of Mission Avenue and Tyler Road. SHAWN JANSEN Sjansen@mercedsun-star.com Anticipation is growing in the City of Merced as longstanding plans for a spacious regional sports hub are finally taking shape. Community Park-42, dubbed CP-42, is envisioned by city leaders as becoming a local epicenter for recreation that will attract visitors from across the county and beyond to south Merced. “It’s pretty exciting. It’s been a long-term vision for the city,” Merced Mayor Matt Serratto said.
The expansive park is imagined as a regional sports complex that includes soccer, football, basketball and volleyball courts, among other facilities. The 30-plus-acre site allotted for phase one of the project is nestled at the corner of Mission Avenue and Tyler Road. CP-42 has been in the works for years, with origins going back as far as park and open space master plans dating to the early 2000s. The injection of $5 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars allocated to the project by the Merced City Council last year allowed it to accelerate.
Although those millions in federal stimulus dollar are allowing the project to move forward, a total price tag for it is still uncertain. City leaders are also poised to accept a state grant for CP-42 during Monday’s Council meeting. The nearly $178,000 from the grant will fund construction of two restrooms during phase one development. That will allow the park to open as a regional sports complex immediately, rather than waiting for phase two development, city documents say. SOCCER, FOOTBALL AND MORE PLANNED FOR CP-42 The park’s conceptual and schematic planning are nearly complete, meaning the project can move into the design phase, City Engineer Michael Beltran said.
City Manager Stephanie Dietz said groundbreaking is estimated to begin around spring of next year. Once phase one construction kicks off, the city is aiming for a quick turnaround. Optimistic projections put an opening date at the end of next year, Serratto said. Conceptual phase one amenities for CP-42 include a parking lot; a food truck area; courts for soccer, football, basketball and volleyball; a shaded picnic shelter and a play area. Future project phases envision a walking path, more courts for various sports and additional picnic and play areas. CP-42 is expected to expand in acreage as further plans are identified and funded. Ongoing conversations between Merced Union High School District (MUHSD) and city officials are exploring the possibility of incorporating another 30-acre site owned by the district next to the city’s parcel into CP-42.
If that plan moves forward, it would effectively double the park’s acreage. MUHSD Superintendent Alan Peterson said those plans are still in preliminary stages, but noted his enthusiasm for seeing multiple public agencies come together on CP-42, each working toward the betterment of Merced. “I think its a way to showcase our community,” Peterson said. “I think it would be a boon to south Merced and provide all sorts of economic activity.” Merced officials agree CP-42 will be a boon to economic development — especially in south Merced. Beltran said the sports complex will serve as a “major park” that is expected to attract people from outside the city to recreate and hold tournaments. “These are high quality, tournament-caliber facilities,” Serratto echoed.
City officials say the park is expected to help address the community’s need for additional recreation sites. Merced residents have long appealed to elected officials to bring more activities for youth — a need that will only grow as the city continues to grow in population, officials say. CP-42’s amenities are intended to cater to popular Merced activities, such as soccer. “It checks so many boxes. It’s south Merced development, it’s regional sports, things to do for youth,“ Serratto said. “It’s just an incredibly important project.”
Read more at: https://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/local/article260903892.html#storylink=cpy
Long before fan safety dominated national news in 2019, the facility team was taking care of their fans at Bismarck Municipal Ballpark, home of Dakota Community Bank & Trust Field in Bismarck, ND.
Their story began in 2014 when the Bismarck Parks and Recreation District (BPRD) initiated a master plan study with their architect, Ritterbush-Ellig-Hulsing P.C. As REH developed plans for the entire complex, architect Jeff Feist looked to Beacon Athletics – experts in protective ballfield netting – to advise on the planned backstop net system that would anchor to the new grandstand. Working closely with Beacon’s project services team, BPRD designed and installed an outboard tie-back netting system. Beacon’s unique winch and pulley system allows for continual cable tensioning adjustments to keep the nets tensioned, aligned, and sag-free. The winch & pulley also makes maintenance easy, bringing top-of-the-line durability and the ability to quickly raise and lower the netting when needed. An additional overhead canopy net panel for covering the seats behind home plate was added to ensure complete spectator safety from one of the most common foul balls in baseball – the straight back and overhead pop foul.
Beacon brought their extensive knowledge of protective netting to our project. With their help, all three stages of net expansions were seamlessly executed, just as we had envisioned.
Phase 2 and Phase 3…
Four years later, BPRD decided to extend the protective netting over the dugouts (in 2018) and then in 2019 they made their third modification, extending protection all the way to the end of the spectator areas along each foul line. Like many ballparks, BPRD had installed patios and social areas along the right- and left-field lines where fans are often distracted from the game. Safety was the motivating factor in modifying their original backstop. With each of the incremental phases, REH relied on Beacon to provide design and installation advice.
During all three phases, our projects team worked closely with the REH architects team, providing valuable expertise specific netting design & engineering. We provided recommendations on pole and cable sizes, footing design, and working load limits of the existing structures, as well as detailed drawings of how the netting would integrate with the existing structures. This collaborative approach enabled on-time and on-budget installations, while also ensuring a long-lasting netting solution that delivers spectator safety.
“It was really a pleasure …
… to work with Beacon Athletics and their projects team on the Bismarck ballpark project,” says REH’s Feist.
Beacon’s project manager, Elliot Hansen, added: “Credit is due all around for the success of this project. Bismarck Parks & Recreation District had the foresight to be proactive in protecting their spectators, and REH’s architects team brought a collaborative approach. REH clearly knows ballfield design and our areas of expertise with protective netting and retro-fitting to existing structures complemented them well. The result is an attractive ballpark that is safe for fans offering a tremendous ballgame experience. Beacon is very proud to be part of the Bismarck ballfield story.”
[[ One-Stop Software Solution for Youth Sports Organizations Enhances Experience for Clubs & Leagues; Evolving Amateur Sports Ecosystem Can Now Drive More Efficient Engagement Between Coaches, Parents and Players Throughout Full Lifecycle of a Youth Athlete – Growing With the Players and the Teams. ]]
BOULDER, Colo., April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — TeamSnap, the online community for everything youth sports, today announced the upcoming launch of the new TeamSnap for Clubs & Leagues, an all-in-one multi-program management system built to simplify and streamline registration, operations, scheduling and team management processes for youth sports organizations of all sizes. The offering will go live on Tuesday, April 26 and includes the top-rated TeamSnap team mobile app. Bringing this first-of-its-kind solution to market is the company’s next step in its evolution toward providing the industry with one platform for all things youth sports.
The New TeamSnap for Clubs & Leagues.
“A youth sports program is complex, and in addition to having a major impact on the lives of countless amateur and rising-star athletes, at the end of the day it is also a business,” said Peter Frintzilas, CEO of TeamSnap. “At TeamSnap, we understand this complexity. With this rollout, our platform that connects more than 25 million youth sports users and over 19,000 organizations can now seamlessly, securely and efficiently meet every business management need of a sports organization, while also empowering them to spend more time doing what they love – and that is focusing on game time.”
TeamSnap built this next generation of its Clubs & Leagues solution set after asking its customers — including more than 19,000 youth sport administrators, coaches and managers – how it could improve their overall experience and better help them manage and grow their clubs and leagues. The end goal was to create new tools, features and services that can save them more time for team and player development.
The enhanced sports management platform includes features for member management, registration, payments, mobile app and website integrations as well as services to help with the design, implementation and ongoing maintenance of their TeamSnap experience. The easy-to-use offering will grow with a club and league year-over-year, allowing them to simply start a new season or new club offering without starting from scratch. It will also simplify the process of keeping track of multiple players coming from the same family, creating a more seamless experience for all users – sports organizations and parents, players and fans.
“We were impressed by the ability to set permissions and grant different access rights based on role,” said Rob Marino, Co-Founder and Administrative Director at Next Level Soccer Academy. “In a growing club, it’s vital that everyone has access to all the information they need, while still keeping more sensitive information protected and secure.”
Key Benefits for Sports Organizations:
The first all-in-one multi-program management solution for sports organizations of any size.
Fully customizable to the unique needs of the organization including multiple bank account support.
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Program managers never have to begin from scratch again and can create and launch a new season within three clicks.
All new reporting capabilities, including consolidated financials and program registration reporting.
All coaches get access to the top-rated TeamSnap team mobile app for no additional cost.
Enhanced ecosystem simplifies administrative tasks, giving time back to club and league managers and support staff.
“TeamSnap is an innovator and industry leader when it comes to simplifying the challenges of amateur sports – for parents, for clubs, for coaches, and for athletes,” said Greg Ludke, Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Development at TeamSnap. “Now we are solving the business problems for sports organizations on a holistic level. From complex program management, to running registration, to financial reporting, to automated scheduling, to real-time communication — the new TeamSnap for Clubs & Leagues now does all of this and more. Best of all, this enhanced suite of business services is delivered with our world-class Team mobile app to delight every organization’s members and coaches.”
For more information on the new TeamSnap for Clubs & Leagues, interested parties can attend a webinar on Tuesday, April 26, at 11:00 AM MT, by signing up here: LINK
About TeamSnap TeamSnap is home to the largest online community for everything youth sports. It is consistently rated the No. 1 sports management platform by its loyal audience of more than 25 million youth sports coaches, administrators, players and parents and over 19,000 sports organizations – across more than 100 different types of sports and activities. The leading sports-tech company offers consumer brands innovative new ways to connect with passionate youth sports audiences from across the globe. It is currently in high-growth mode, expanding its footprint toward becoming THE platform and marketplace for all things youth sports.
Gig Harbor, WA. – A group of Gig Harbor North residents is circulating a petition urging the city of Gig Harbor to conduct environmental studies on the effects that a proposed sports complexwould have on the surrounding community.
The facility would be built in phases on 30 acres along Harbor Hill Drive, to the north, south and southwest of the Tom Taylor Family YMCA. It would eventually comprise six lighted ballfields with associated parking lots and access roads, among other amenities. Impacts cited in the petition are traffic, tree removal, light and noise pollution, and wildlife habitat destruction.
The City Council on March 28 approved a nearly $600,000 contract with BCRA for design, permitting and bid support of the initial work — Phase 1B.
Phase 1B, on 3.4 acres north of the YMCA parking lot, will include three bocce ball courts, six pickleball courts, two playgrounds, an event lawn with a covered stage, two picnic shelters, and a restroom/concessions building. Design and permitting is scheduled to be completed this year with construction beginning early in 2023.
Gig Harbor Sports Complex Phase 1B Drawing courtesy of city of Gig Harbor
The sports complex will add 360 parking spaces to the 490 already at the YMCA and 160 at the Little League fields and along McCormick Creek Drive, for a total of 1,010. The Village at Harbor Hill shopping center is planned at Harbor Hill Drive and Borgen Boulevard with 14 buildings and 577 parking stalls.
Traffic concerns
The petition states that any previous traffic impact studies must be updated to include the new parking and future development on the east side of Harbor Hill Drive.
“It will be significantly busier,” Colyar said. “We can even envision in the case of a large soccer tournament the neighborhood streets being impacted by parking.”
Much of the 30 wooded acres would be logged. That would degrade the rural character of Harbor Hill Drive, increase stormwater runoff, destroy wildlife habitat, reduce carbon dioxide absorption, and increase noise from local roads and Highway 16, according to the petition.
“Trees, that’s a huge issue,” Colyar said. “One of the reasons we want this holistic study to be done is that clear-cutting of trees is going to begin rather soon. The trees are vital for CO2 absorption, most particularly for wildlife because that area is so rich in wildlife. All you have to do is walk around that pond, which we do frequently, and see several varieties of ducks, herons, redwing blackbirds. It’s a rich wildlife area.”
The six sports fields, parking lots and access roads would create excessive noise and light pollution for nearby residents, the petition states.
The group is not opposed to the sports complex, but it wants the impacts to be taken into account and the plan perhaps altered to lessen the impacts and maintain the neighbors’ quality of life, including walking trails with wildlife and trees, and nights undisturbed by lights and noise, Colyar said.
“What we don’t want to do is come across as being anti-family and anti-kid because that’s not the case at all,” she said. “We believe kids should have places to play. Children have to have sports. They need to play soccer. They need to play baseball. We don’t want to come across as being anti-sports, anti-children, anti-family, but we do want the city to be mindful and intentional about studying impacts before going ahead with the grand plan.”
‘Gig Harbor is going to change’
Colyar snapped a photo of a sign with a Martin Luther King Jr. quote recently while vacationing in Pasadena, Calif. It states, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
“This matters,” she said. “This is important, and what happens up here (in Gig Harbor North) matters to every single person who lives here, not only the neighborhoods but everybody in Gig Harbor.
“Gig Harbor is going to change. It’s not going to stand still and remain a little fishing village, but the changes inherent to a growing city have to be planned, with preservation of open space and wildlife and trees being considered an important value.”
Phases 1A and 1B of the sports complex will be between the YMCA and Costco on Harbor Hill Road. Ed Friedrich / Gig Harbor Now
EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — The City of El Paso on Friday will break ground on Phase II of the Eastside Sports Complex in the Upper Eastside.
The sports complex expansion, located at 4380 Montwood Dr., will include eight competition flat fields along with lighting, parking, and other amenities, according to the city.
“The Parks and Recreation Department’s commitment to our youth and adult athletes continues as Phase II of the Eastside Sports Complex begins,” said Cultural Affairs and Recreation Managing Director, Ben Fyffe. “The expansion of the additional competition fields will strengthen our city as a destination location for future tournaments.
Eastside Sports Complex (credit: KFOX14/CBS4)
The groundbreaking ceremony will be held at the complex at 10 a.m. City leaders including Rep. Isabel Salcido will be there.
The $12.1 million project is funded through a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone and Public Improvement District. Construction will begin this spring and should be completed in about a year, according to the city.