BY LUCIE KRISMAN
New soccer fields may open in Eudora as early as this summer as part of a broader plan to create a sports complex in the city.
City staff and commissioners discussed plans for the complex during Monday night’s commission meeting. The complex will occupy vacant land between the high school and middle school..
The city and School District originally entered an agreement for the project in 2018. City staff revisited the goal for the project during a strategic planning retreat in 2020.
City Manager Barack Matite said the sports complex fits into the city’s strategic planning as a means of economic development for Eudora, including expansion of community assets into the southern parts of the city.
“South Sports Complex is part of that bigger picture and part of that bigger conversation that we will have in how it all ties to the objective that we want for development south of K-10,” Matite said.
The first step to building the sports complex would be adding new soccer fields, which the city plans to partner with the School District and soccer club BVB International Academy to build.
Joe Comparato, a local representative for BVB International Academy, said the company is ready to break ground on the fields as soon as possible and is excited to be a part of the city’s long-term goals.
Comparato said the best case scenario would be having the fields open by early summer.
“We look forward to the opportunities here in Eudora,” Joe Comparato said. “We just want to learn more about it and see how we could play a central role.”
City staff will present information about the sports complex to the School Board Thursday. After approval from the district, city staff hope to begin establishing a timeline for building the complex and bringing concrete details back before commissioners, Matite said.
Michael Comparato, representative from the city’s Nottingham redevelopment team, said any plans for this sports complex, as well as decisions around the Nottingham Center and expanding Parks and Recreation resources, are being made with opportunities for controlled growth in mind.
“That’s our primary planning guideline,” Michael Comparato said. “Making sure we blend the opportunities for growth and expanded tax base while protecting the integrity of our small town atmosphere in Eudora.”
Additionally, the commission awarded $5,000 in grant funding to three Main Street businesses as part of the Downtown Grant Program. The three applicants were Twill Trade, new home decor shop Eudorable Home and 101 W. 10th St. Suite A, a space for insurance sales and service agents.
The commission will next meet Feb. 22. Instructions on how to attend remotely will be posted to the city's website.
Reach reporter Lucie Krisman at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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