Parks and Recreation presents sports-complex master plan; seeks grants and local matches

Aaron Dakey, president of the Gallatin County Parks and Recreation board, presented a master-plan concept for the county sports complex at the Fiscal Court meeting on March 12. The plan emphasizes converting some adult-size fields to sizes tailored for youth sports, adding soccer fields, improving parking and creating a roughly quarter-mile walking loop to increase accessibility and everyday use.

Dakey said the concept shortens a large adult softball field to a youth-sized field (from roughly a 300-foot adult dimension to a youth-appropriate size), adds soccer fields and creates a central pedestrian loop and parking adjustments to improve accessibility. He described the design as staged so grant-funded improvements can be matched by local contributions; he said the board is pursuing sponsorships and expects some grants will require a local match.

The board identified an example $25,000 local contribution that would be used to leverage larger grant funds for a main trunk into a concession area; Dakey said that matching funds would unlock further improvements such as field reconfiguration. He acknowledged a range of cost estimates in the concept plan and said the board will seek to reduce costs by doing some work locally.

Court members asked about maintenance responsibilities, coordination with the city and possible alignment with school projects. Dakey said there has been informal communication with the city and an understanding that the property should remain a sports complex, but he said no formal lease or memorandum of understanding (MOU) was yet in place.

Ending: The parks board will continue grant-seeking and refine staging and maintenance plans; the court expressed general support and requested continued coordination with city officials.