Phase II seeks approval
Paul Clinton
The City Council is expected to set the ball rolling on the second
phase of a brand new $18-million sports complex at its meeting on
Tuesday, officials said. Council approval is needed before the
project can move forward.
The bulk of the work on the complex, in the heart of Surf City,
may be finished by spring -- but the complex won’t be available for
raucous softball battles and soccer matches until Oct. 1.
Grass turf on the eight fields of the Huntington Central Park
Sports Complex must be given six months to bond to the dirt surface,
said Dave Dominguez, the city’s manager of facilities, development
and concession.
“We were always planning on having an establishment period for the
turf,” Dominguez said. “It’s got to establish itself. If it doesn’t,
it will get torn up.”
The complex is at a 45-acre section of Central Park, bounded by
Goldenwest Street, Gothard Street, Ellis Avenue and Talbert Avenue.
The city’s Community Services Commission at a Jan. 8 meeting
recommended moving forward with the second phase of the project,
which began last year.
By March 1, contractor Valley Crest is expected to wrap up work on
eight softball fields, backstops and a parking lot.
In the second phase, expected to be completed later in the year,
Santa Ana-based Valley Crest is building two artificial-turf soccer
arenas, two plastic-tile roller hockey rinks and a nine-station
batting cage.
Demand has been high for use of the fields and arenas, Dominguez
said.
“We’re getting calls now,” Dominguez said. “They’re chomping at
the bit.”
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