The Camp Verde Parks and Recreation Department held a public forum to solicit residents’ views on priorities for future amenities for the town’s new sports complex on Monday, July 24.
Located on Champion Trail off Route 260, the 110-plus acre park will include two new soccer and football fields and two softball and baseball fields. Both fields will use dark sky-compliant LED lighting and will be irrigated with treated reclaimed water from the town’s wastewater facility.
“There has been a tremendous amount of progress recently and the park is beginning to turn the corner and we want to be ready for ideas in the next phase,” Parks and Recreation Manager Michael Marshall said in a press release.
Marshall said that the Parks and Recreation Department, as a division of Public Works, is responsible for coordinating programs and the use of recreation facilities. Construction and maintenance of the sports complex is being handled by the Maintenance Division and Public Works Department and its director.
Grading, drainage and road construction is complete for the entire complex. A 1.6-mile walking and biking path around the complex has been completed and scoreboards for all the playing fields have been installed. The lighting for the courts will be ready in August, and construction plans for the pickleball and tennis courts are pending funding and council approval.
Bidding for the restroom and concessions building is currently in progress. The department is aiming to complete the grounds, parking and walkway cleanup and improvements by the fall.
The department’s documents outline a vision for the park that refers to active and high-intensity use with an emphasis on organized youth use and accommodating as many varied and diverse user groups and amenities as possible.
Marshall said that he was seeking to understand public priorities in order to advise the town council on how to budget funds.
One resident complained that the park lacked soccer goal posts and he had to supply his own. Another resident asked if the walking path could be made stroller-friendly by using pavement instead of gravel.
Another resident asked whether the reclaimed water will be tested on a regular basis; Marshall replied that testing is the wastewater treatment plant’s responsibility.
He also commented that the department has received a $10,000 grant from Arizona Public Service to plant trees, but has not been able to do so yet as the park’s irrigation system is not in place.
A group of residents recently formed the Camp Verde Recreation Association. One of their representatives said that the process for applying for projects was daunting and asked for a more streamlined process for smaller projects like batting cages.
Resident requests for future development included batting cages, a sand volleyball court, an equestrian trail, a dog park, a splash pad, a paved walking trail, a cornhole setup and a disc golf course.
