Mini-pitch - council enters agreement

The drive to bring a mini-pitch (soccer field) system to Osceola is one step closer to becoming reality, as Osceola City Council approved an agreement with Kick It Forward at their June 3 council meeting.

The concept for a mini-pitch system was first brought to council at their Sept. 17, 2024, meeting by Jose Escareno and Jorge Avalos. The two presented the idea to council, speaking to how such a facility would be of benefit to not just the youth but the community as a whole.

Costs for the systems would range from $110-115K for a smaller 50-84-foot, single option up to $235-240K for a larger 96-120-foot, double-system. Escareno and Avalos explained the way it works is that Kick It Forward pays for the system by way of fundraising, sponsors and grants, with the city just needing to provide the space for the system, pay for the construction of a concrete pad, electrical work and other site preparation.

At that meeting, council expressed interest in the project but had questions regarding the size and number of pitches, the material’s lifespan and the versatility of the court. It was asked if it would be possible to also use the court for other sports outside of soccer, and the potential to flood the area in the winter to make an ice-skating rink. City staff were directed to look at potential locations for a mini-pitch(es).

Updates

Escareno and Avalos gave the council answers to some of the questions at the June 3 meeting. Escareno confirmed that the material used for the fencing is mostly galvanized with a guarantee of at least 10 years without any prior maintenance. Tiles placed on top of the concrete pad help to extend the lifespan of the concrete. He said that Kick It Forward did not recommend flooding and freezing the pad in the winter.

Initial talks were for two smaller pitches, but Escareno said that having one slightly larger 60x120-feet pitch made more sense. As far as multi-sport uses of the pitch, he acknowledged the desire, but said that they were looking at soccer for its primary use.

“As far as we’re concerned, if it’s just a…mini-pitch, our inclination is for that, not a multi-purpose,” Escareno said, reiterating they strongly felt the needs for a mini-pitch in Osceola.

Escareno spoke of the costs to add additional elements to the system - poles for basketball hoops would be $8-10K as a contractor would have to install those. For pickleball, the cost for painting of lines and netting would be an additional cost to the project.

“If basketball is something the community needs, certainly there’s…companies out there that can set that up,” Escareno said. “Someone else might have that ambition to look for it.”

He added that a multi-sport mini-pitch could cause scheduling conflicts.

“I also agree…soccer will probably take up 95% of time on this court,” councilman Tom Bahls said. “My input is, let’s make it multi-sport if it needs to be multi-sport…for a minimum expense to put some poles in, it’s well-worth doing just in case.”

Osceola mayor Thomas Kedley agreed with the need for an additional soccer field, stating many kids use the school’s field or the Parks and Rec grass fields. The fact the pitch would be concrete would be an added benefit to its mostly year-round use.

Councilman Jose Vargas said he understood the concerns when it came to making the pitch multi-use, but challenged Escareno and Vargas to find ways the pitch could be used in the winter months.

Location

Early location ideas by Escareno and Avalos had been to see a mini-pitch near the downtown area, however finding an area where one could fit proved tricky. After looking at other city-owned property, city staff recommended the pitch be placed just north of the Fern Underwood Family Aquatic Center in what is currently grass space. Placed there, staff and council discussed the future development opportunities for the area including parking and bathroom facilities.

“This [could] be a parking lot, serving the needs of the pool, future rec facilities, soccer fields…a lot of things that go on year round,” Osceola city administrator Ty Wheeler said. The grass is often used as overflow parking for the school and parking for rec soccer games.

With pitch size, the city has the option to make the concrete pad larger to accommodate walking and bleachers if desired. Wheeler recommended going up to a 80x140’-feet pad, about 208 cubic yards of concrete. Councilman Dr. George Fotiadis agreed that he liked the site as it was visible and also had infrastructure present.

“The logical thing would be some kind of facilities. Is it expandable, something you can put another site by,” Fotiadis said.

Kedley noted the city’s 2045 comprehensive plan, which included looking at elements such as recreation facilities.

“Trying to find things for kids to go to is huge,” Kedley said. “You’re hard-pressed to find a gym in Osceola, a field in Osceola, that’s not being used after school by athletic events, and having something for the community [is great].”