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Kids & Family

Stuart Expansion Will Create Field(s) of Dreams

Weekly musings from Jeff Long, public relations manager with the Fox Valley Park District.

“Build it and they will come.”

That old axiom used to be the norm, though the economy has made such a prediction a little less reliable these days.

But that isn’t the case with local athletic fields; specifically, ball diamonds and soccer fields. As the region’s population grows, demand for these facilities continues to exceed what is available.

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To address this ongoing shortage, the Fox Valley Park District is turning a lot of earth. Perhaps you’ve heard of the of the . It’s going to be huge—literally.

Between Baseline Road (Route 30) and the south end of the current park border, 135 acres of empty land will be transformed into four new ball fields with lights and 11 new soccer fields. When the dirt is tilled and grass seed planted by fall, Stuart will encompass more than 400 acres, featuring 36 soccer fields and eight ball diamonds, all with lights.

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It’s very much needed.

Consider that during the course of a playing season—roughly April through October—park district fields host nearly 5,000 soccer, baseball and softball games. That’s a lot of action. During peak months, from May through July, those fields are hosting action non-stop.

Fox Valley currently maintains 49 ball fields and 46 soccer fields district-wide. Four more lighted ball fields—two at New Haven and two at Waubonsie Creek—will be playable in 2013.

“We work with more than a dozen league affiliates plus several local schools, and all of them are clamoring for more fields,” said Anna Kish, community athletics liaison. “Just about every field we operate is booked every day and night for the entire season. There are only so many fields, that’s why there is such a huge demand.”

The Stuart expansion is cause for celebration. It was a driving force that fueled a $44.8 million referendum in 2008 that passed with 65 percent voter approval. Now that all the inter-governmental agreements are in place with the , it’s full-speed ahead.

“Everybody is excited – they don’t even want to wait for the grass to grow in,” said Kish. “They anxious to get on those fields right now, but they understand it takes time.”

Construction will begin in the coming days. The newly-expanded area will open in 2013, but the fields will not be playable until 2014 in order to allow the turf to take root and grow.

In the meantime, the infrastructure at Stuart will be up and running, featuring a permanent restroom and concession building.  Two parking lots with drop-off aisles will be added adjacent to the ball fields and soccer fields, accommodating over 600 vehicles.

And if the family dog is a sports fan, bring him/her along. A 15-acre dog park is part of the expansion as well.

Just like the next big game, the expansion at Stuart is an exciting prospect, and there’s no shortage of adrenalin in anticipation of it happening.

Jeff Long is the public relations manager for the Fox Valley Park District. Contact him at jlong@fvpd.net.

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