It was a packed house tonight at the Vision Fund Committee meeting
and the committee- made up of City Council members, granted the Rapid City Soccer
Complex Board's wish.
To a standing room only crowd of soccer players and parents, the
committee discussed the soccer complex for close to two hours.
Members of the Soccer Complex Board asked the City Council to
release the Vision Fund money - totaling 3.8 million dollars - that was
allocated to the project in 2005.
While they didn't get the full amount, the committee passed a
motion to cut loose two point two million dollars, with some strings attached.
"Number one; make a commitment to the soccer association that
the money is there. We're going to build the infrastructure, the basis for it
and the rest of it will be in your court to build the fields. That's what I was
trying to get done and to a certain extent we got 'er done," said Alderman
Jerry Wright.
"This is an important hurdle because basically this has been
ongoing since 2005. I think we finally got a good commitment our of the Vision
Committee saying -let's move forward and we want to get these fields built.
This will provide us the opportunity to take the next step," said parent Blaise
Emerson.
The motion will now move on for approval at the next Legal
and Finance committee meeting.
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Members of the Rapid City Soccer Complex board will ask the city council Thursday night to release the Vision Fund money that was allocated to the project in 2005.
The group wants to build a 21-field complex off North Elk Vale Road. They are asking the Vision Fund Committee to cut the purse strings on $2.2 million of the #3.8 million dollars allotted for new soccer fields.
Board member, Kurt Whitesell believes that with the city's backing, donors who were once reluctant will come forward. "If the city is there to back us, businesses and individuals will step forward and they'll help us out a lot more - and we'll be able to move forward with our fundraising effort."
If the Rapid City Soccer Complex board gets the funding its requesting, Whitesell says work can begin on infrastructure as soon as this fall.
