Camp Verde residents may be playing at the new sports complex by this fall — at least on part of it.
The Camp Verde Sports Complex has faced setbacks almost since its construction was first approved by the Camp Verde Town Council in November 2016. The park has been delayed due to lawsuits, rejected bids from contractors, and most recently, a grant from the federal government getting delayed due to COVID-19.
However, the council made two moves at its meeting on Wednesday, May 19, aimed at allowing for use of the park, at least for play on the soccer fields, by September.
The council approved spending $137,919.86 for a water reclamation project for the park’s fields, as well as $175,000 for preparation of the soccer fields, parking lots and other features such as bleachers.
The water reclamation project is a joint venture with the Nature Conservancy, with whom the town entered into a partnership in March. The conservancy is seeking a grant of $50,000 to fund part of the $137,919.86 project cost, awarded to McDonald Brothers Inc. Once the project is completed, the nearby Wastewater Treatment Facility will be piping its treated effluent to the park for watering grass, with the aim of reusing water and reducing the town’s use of water resources such as the Verde River.
“This will eliminate the temporary water supply we are currently renting” from Chandler-based irrigation supply company Rain For Rent, which is about $9,200 per month, Public Works Analyst Dorie Blair said. “As soon as construction is complete that will be immediately taken out.”
The water reclamation project was met with enthusiasm by members of the council, led by Vice Mayor Joe Butner, who expressed concern about the grass that has been planted at the park so far, which they believe has been coming in badly.
Blair and Camp Verde Public Works Director Ron Loninsisted that the current grass problems are due to lack of water and that this reclamation project would improve it.
“The grass is going to recover just fine,” Long said. “It just needs plenty of water [so] we upped the watering. We’re already seeing some results. It’s just a matter of waiting for the grass to turn green.”
The council approved the $175,000 to begin work on the soccer and football fields, but actual work is not expected to begin for another few weeks. The town has been waiting for the past year on approval of a potential $2.5 million grant from the Land & Water Conservation Fund, which will supplement the town’s funding of park construction. The town applied in July and hoped that the grant would be approved last year, but COVID-19-related issues meant that theU.S. Department of Agriculture delayed approval.
The terms of the LWCF grant requires the town to not spend any money on projects that would be covered by the grant, which has delayed progress, though the town did make the decision to begin planting grass, voiding a $50,000 deposit in the process.
According to Long, the grant funding seems to be back on track and the town’s grant application was accepted in April, meaning that it could be approved as soon as June.
The funding approved by the council on Wednesday will allow construction by Tierra Verde Builders, the contractor chosen by the town to work on the park, to begin construction as soon as the grant is approved.
“I’d want to get started immediately in getting these things ordered,” Long told the council.“If approved we would be starting on getting those things ready, so we’d be ready in September to play.”
