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County reviews Franklin Park soccer contract and feasibility study for second entrance
Summary
County staff presented a proposed one-year priority-use contract with the Charlotte Soccer Association (90,000 guaranteed, with up to about $110,000 including tournament allocations) and a feasibility study for a second Franklin Park entrance; the study says CIP funds are assigned and estimates about nine months for design plus a year for construction.
County staff brought two related Franklin Park items to the board: a proposed priority-use contract for the Franklin Park Soccer Complex and a feasibility study for a second park entrance.
Mr. Haggler said the contract, already signed by the Charlotte Soccer Association and awaiting Concord approval, is written as a one-year agreement (the active living and parks commission preferred avoiding long 25-year commitments). He said the contract guarantees $90,000 and includes four $5,000 sole-use tournament blocks; total revenue could reach approximately $110,000 depending on tournament use and cancellations. "Right now the $90,000 is guaranteed no matter what," Haggler said, and the contract includes blackout dates for county special events.
On the second-entrance study, Michael Miller and consultants from Benesch (Greg Stewart and Michael Dovecio) presented schematic designs and a traffic impact analysis for about 6,000 linear feet of roadway from the park office to Jackson Terrace near Rocky Ridge Church cemetery. Staff said the parcel is on the former Stonewall Jackson training school property and that funding has been assigned in the county CIP. The study faces railroad-related constraints: the main entrance crosses a rail line that is expected to carry freight again with nearby development; presenters said they are coordinating with the railroad but had not yet received detailed operating hours. They estimated about nine months for design after consultant selection and about a year for construction — roughly two years to opening under optimum conditions.
Why it matters: The contract affects park revenue and user access; the second entrance is intended to ease congestion, improve safety for large events, and mitigate future rail-crossing conflicts tied to nearby freight service.
Next steps: Concord is slated to sign the soccer agreement; staff will return with the finalized contract for the board's June meeting. For the entrance, an RFQ for full design was posted and the county will select a design firm before proceeding to final design and construction; staff said they will continue coordination with the railroad and plan to return with more detailed timelines and cost estimates.
