Published Thursday, February 04, 2010
Soggy fields problem, says soccer association
The Newnan Times-Herald
Soggy fields have always been a problem at the Whitlock complex, the home of Coweta's soccer and softball programs -- even during dry years.
But this year, "we are really, really in trouble with the rain we have been having," said Chris Cook, executive director of the Coweta County Soccer Association.
Cook appeared before the Coweta County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday.
Cook said he and CCSA board member Chuck Lee attended Tuesday's commission meeting "just to understand the process you guys go through."
The association has more than 1,400 players, Cook said.
"We are really in big trouble with our facilities at Whitlock, and not able to provide a facility for our kids to participate," Cook said. Spring practice began this week, he said, but any amount of rain renders the fields unusable.
"We can't put the kids out there. We're in really big trouble," he said. "We are losing participants -- players are leaving, and they're going to Fayette County, on a regular basis, because they can't participate on our fields."
Whitlock Park, located on Walt Sanders Memorial Drive off Hwy. 34 East, was built on donated property, which happened to be in the floodplain.
The soccer association works hard to provide a staff, uniforms and most everything else for the league, except the fields, officials said.
Currently, Cook said, the soccer association doesn't have access to Coweta's Hunter Complex recreation facility on Highway 16 East. "It's not really being used at all, and the fields are in great condition," Cook said.
He said he'd like to get on the commission agenda in the future, but "I just wanted to make that statement to you guys."
Commission Chairman Paul Poole said he had spoken to Assistant County Administrator Eddie Whitlock, and "he told me y'all had a meeting and worked out some suggestions and ideas on how to drain" the fields.
Poole also informed Cook that creating new recreation fields was discussed extensively at a recent commission work session. The county plans to do some work on the property around the Central Library in order to create practice fields.
"But, here again, we're having to wait until it quits raining," Poole said.
Cook said the association has rented some fields in Peachtree City for practices. The teams can use some middle school fields, but the fields don't have lighting for night play, he said.
Commissioner Randolph Collins asked why the soccer teams don't have access to the fields at the Hunter Complex.
"It must be a scheduling" issue, said County Administrator Theron Gay.
"I would like them to have access to Hunter," Collins said. "I would imagine that Hunter dries out quicker than Whitlock."
Cook said the soccer association has looked at private land as well. "We might need a multi-sport complex," he said. He's thinking something in the 100-acre range. "That is something I have talked to some developers and business owners to do something like that, which would benefit the county tremendously."
"We really want to look at the future, what is going to happen," Cook said. And beyond the flooding issue, "Whitlock needs to be renovated," he said.
"We're working with you and we ask that y'all work with us, too, which you are," Poole said. "It's just extremely wet out there."
