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A much-delayed recreational soccer complex may be getting a new life. With the help of Salt Lake County, backers of the proposed facility hope they'll have enough money to push the project to completion.
The new 24-field, 180 acre recreational soccer and baseball complex, which would be sandwiched between I-215 and the Jordan River near the airport, was supposed to be home to dozens of soccer and baseball fields. But five years after voters OK'd money for the project, nothing has happened.
The complex was part of the Real Salt Lake soccer stadium deal. A $7.5 million contribution from RSL owner Dave Checketts should have gotten the ball rolling last year. But costs ballooned, Salt Lake City changed administrations, and a year later, still no progress.
Now, discussions have begun to get some kind of help from Salt Lake County. "We don't know yet, but we certainly want to be supportive in ways we can, whether it's financially or helping manage the project, whatever it might be," Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon said.
Project backers hope the city, plus the county and possible corporate partners, will bridge a $5 million to $8 million gap.
"We believe probably a $5-8 million revenue stream from the county, together with doing the bond for the championship field and the $23 million we already have, will get this project up and running and operational in the next couple of years," said Dave Spatafore, co-chair of the Salt Lake Athletic Complex.
Corroon says he views the use of any public funds to build youth fields capable of hosting regional- or national-caliber tournaments as an investment in economic development.
"These kinds of recreation fields, if we can bring a tournament here into Salt Lake County, we'll bring thousands of young kids. They come with their families, as well, and they spend hundreds of thousands of dollars when they come here for these tournaments, probably millions of dollars," Corroon said.
Supporters of this project say if they can get help from the county, construction could begin next spring, with completion in the fall of 2010 or spring of 2011.
Meanwhile, Salt Lake City's mayor has a new point man on this project: former Utah Jazz president Dennis Haslam, who he hopes will move this project along.
E-mail: jdaley@ksl.com
