Soccer field may be on county tract
By Scott Nicholson

The Watauga County commissioners are exploring public-private partnerships as a way to stretch taxpayer dollars while still providing services.

The commissioners heard two such proposals during their Monday meeting. A local soccer association wants to help develop recreation fields on property the county recently purchased, and a local woman introduced a proposal to upgrade a children’s playground.

Chip Williamson, president of the High Country Soccer Association, said the group was seeking 10 acres of land on property along Brookshire Road. He said the association had a plan to raise $1.6 million in three phases to develop three full-sized soccer fields for use both by the association and the Watauga County Parks and Recreation department.

Williamson said the fields wouldn’t have to be used strictly for soccer. He said the association already had a good working relationship with the county’s recreation department and could coordinate schedules so the fields would be available for public sports.

The High Country Soccer Association (HCSA) was formed in 1986 to launch a more competitive regional soccer program. The association now fields 10 to 12 teams a year and has about 175 players. Williamson said the program focuses not only on developing skills but on sportsmanship and teamwork.

He described it as a “feeder program” that involved soccer coaches from Watauga High School and Appalachian State University.

Williamson said while the program was growing, it relied on soccer facilities from the county and school system, ASU and Lees-McRae College. Some of the fields don’t have adequate drainage many lack restroom facilities and bleachers.

The HCSA proposal said, “Opposing teams that travel to Watauga County  to play HCSA teams are often critical of the condition of the soccer fields on which they are asked to compete. Safety is a frequent concern due to the unevenness of the field surface and the ruts and holes that often mar the surface.”

Williamson said quality playing surfaces would also attract other teams for regional tournaments, which would bring revenue into the county. Williamson said Boone recently lost a chance to host a tournament, which instead wound up in Asheville because of new facilities there.

Williamson said the proposal calls for one field to be of artificial turf. The full-size fields could also be striped so that younger players could play on smaller fields.

Under the first phase, $300,000 would be spent to construct the three fields and provide parking and restrooms. The second phase would involve the installation of artificial turf and add lighting and other amenities for $500,000. The third phase would add an additional playing field and an indoor facility.

Williamson said HCSA’s season runs from August through November and February through May. Williamson said the proposal hinged on a cooperative working agreement with the county. “It can’t work unless we share,” he said.

Parks and recreation director Stephen Poulos said the two parties had a good relationship and said, in the past, HCSA would be done with fields by 5 p.m. so recreational league soccer could be played. The two parties share a field at Valle Crucis.

Williamson also touted the fields as a long-term benefit because of soccer’s growing popularity. He said there were 103 soccer leagues in the state, with 60,000 players. He said HCSA was already under pressure because it expects to add several more teams next year and will need more fields. “It’s a big problem but a big opportunity,” he said.

Commissioner Jim Deal said the county needs athletic fields and welcomed the chance to explore the concept, saying tournaments brought visitors to town who would contribute to the tax base.

County manager Rocky Nelson recommended that any formal action be delayed until a preliminary site assessment is complete. The assessment would show how much of the property is usable and available, and the commissioners are expected to make decisions on the property’s use during their annual retreat in the spring.

In August, the county paid $2.6 million for 73 acres of land along Brookshire Road. The property adjoins the South Fork of the New River and a portion is in the flood plain, which could limit its use to recreation.

Some of the land could be used for an industrial park. The county already has a park with several soccer fields bordering one end of the property.

Marty-Jo Wilson, representing the Boone Service League, brought the commissioners a proposal to raise $80,000 to $100,000 to enhance the “Tot Lot,” a playground beside the county swim complex. Wilson said the improvements would make the playground handicapped-accessible, which she said no other county park offered.

Wilson said fundraising ideas included poker run raffles and business support, the right to name the park for a specific period of time. The commissioners gave the go-ahead for Wilson to pursue the idea, though the board wanted the right to approve any park naming.

• Scott Nicholson may be contacted

at nicholson@wataugademocrat.com.