A $2.5 million plan to improve Reddan Soccer Park will be presented to the public next week at the Verona Public Library.
The Madison Area Youth Soccer Association, which has been leasing the county-owned land on Cross Country Road for almost 12 years, is hoping to draw bigger tournaments, host more games at the high school level and above and improve conditions for its current events. It's the next big step in the evolution of the 60-acre park, which has been fixed up as far as MAYSA's army of volunteers can go, said executive director Chris Lay.
"The facility needs to function at a higher level," Lay said. "We've made all the improvements we can make with hard work and spending reasonable amounts of money. Now it needs larger infusions of capital in order to keep pace with some of the newer facilities that have been built around the Midwest and also meet the needs of our growing membership."
The plan is being coordinated with Badger Prairie County Park master planning process and will include traffic updates, field upgrades and parking expansions centered around a lighted stadium with a 1,000-seat elevated grandstand.
If all goes well with MAYSA's capital campaign, the improvements would be made in the next year or two.
"We may be able to start as early as 2010, but it's probably likely that (it'll be 2011)," Lay said. "We are announcing this early because we want to cooperate with neighbors, business owners and key stakeholders of the park. ... We want this to be the community's facility."
To that end, Lay will present a draft of the plans at 6 p.m. Monday at the library, then 90 minutes later to the Verona Area Board of Education at its meeting and three days later to MAYSA members at the park during an ice cream social. He'll have renderings and diagrams and will be looking to answer questions and address concerns of anyone with an interest.
"I want to give a human response to people's sincere questions," Lay said. "We do not want to be hiding behind press releases or e-mails."
For example, he said, he anticipates some concern over light pollution and increased traffic, even though the traffic plan will have to work through government channels and lights are already part of the lease agreement.
"We are committed to low-spill and low-pollution lights," Lay noted. "We are not going to be having lights on 'til midnight."
But he said MAYSA intends to be flexible and much of the plan - including whether it's in the city or town - remains up for debate. The group has already initiated discussions with the city over possibly annexing the park.
"It might be a better fit," Lay explained. "Soccer is a more urban activity."
That's for sure. Anyone who has tried to drive on Cross Country Road during the weekend tournaments can see the massive throng of kids and parents and can tell its traffic and parking could use an urban touch.
The new plan, designed by Rettler Corp., addresses that with about 650 parking spots, a second entrance, a roundabout loop for traffic flow and a bus loop.
"For everyone involved, traffic and entrance and exit points for the facility is a point of emphasis," Lay said.
And MAYSA would like to go a step farther, building a modern stadium where people can relax and walk around with a drink or a brat while watching the featured game.
"It's not much different from the patios you see at major league baseball parks," Lay said.
That field and two others nearby would have a synthetic surface and lights. The plan also includes team locker rooms, a playset area, an awards plaza and connections to the nearby Ice Age Trail.
Another important element in the update is the regular fields themselves, many of which are "dramatically pitched," Lay said, meaning players have to go uphill at times. And the fields on the opposite side of the road need to be expanded to be suitable for older kids' games.
Already the facility is home to not just MAYSA but the Verona Soccer Club, the Madison Soccer Association, two local clubs' tournaments and private leagues, it has also hosted tournaments such as the Badger State Games and the President's Cup. But few high school games are played there.
"That would be part of the goal, to get more high school, WIAA games here," Lay said.
After holding the public forum at the library, Lay will bring the plan to the school board "which has already had discussions about this possibility" and attempt to create a formal relationship. Currently, Verona Area High School varsity games are played at the field behind Badger Ridge Middle School and don't have great access to concessions or locker rooms.
And Thursday evening, Lay will see what MAYSA members think of the plan, which will depend heavily on fund-raising efforts and sports-development grants. After that, Lay should have a good idea of what to tweak.
"The final version of Reddan Soccer Park is sure to differ to some degree from these concepts," he said. "But these will, ideally, guide us toward positive results."
