Davis Sports Park/Complex Update

Field of Dreams? Talk About Building It and We Will Debate

Kevin Costner built a baseball field over prime agricultural land and hundreds of thousands of people drove their cars to witness the ethereal sight of baseball being played in a former cornfield.  I’m not an expert, but that enterprise sounds like it has a large carbon footprint… even if the harvested corn went to make ethanol.

Could this scenario happen in Davis?  Could open space around Davis be graded and seeded to provide more play space for Shoeless Joe Jackson, Davis Little League, AYSO and the like? The wheels are in motion.

After the jump, read about current actions to build a sports complex on the edge of town.

The big mo’ (momentum… don’t you love election season buzz words?) has been building up steam recently for a Davis Sports Park/Complex.  For the past few months, City Staff has been publicly considering three large parcels on the east side of town for a “Sports Park”. Last month, the final results of the City Parks & Community Services Department Survey (pdf) by Godbe Research to inform the Parks &  Recreation Facilities Master Plan Update were released.  On January 29th, the City Council appointed an Ad Hoc Field Committee to “continue refining the overall structure and implementation of the project.”  The consulting group MIG is preparing many documents to further inform the Master Plan Update.  That is a lot of action.

First, what is a sports park/complex?  A sports complex is a large grouping of different types of athletic fields (baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse etc), often with infrastructure for parking, concessionaires and other spectator facilities.

Secondly, does Davis have a shortage of recreational athletic fields?  As it turns out, yes, there is a shortage of athletic fields for our youngsters.  Organizers consistently have a difficult time scheduling all of the needed games to keep our young ones’ competitive spirits alive.  Also, we are unable to host larger tournaments because many of our older fields (i.e. Little League Fields at Covell & F Street) do not meet regulations and can not be altered due to adjacent development constraints.

Lastly, does the shortage of playing fields necessitate one large, peripheral complex?  That is the subject of our discussion.

Next time, we’ll have a lengthy discussion on the pros and cons of such a project along with some commentary for those involved with the process.  First comment on this post wins a free hot dog at Raley Field next season (we’ll travel there via bike, of course).