I support the ballot initiative on the November 7, 2006, to create a youth soccer complex in Johnson County, and I encourage voters to give their vote to this worthwhile project. Youth soccer is a growing activity in our community and facilities are needed to keep pace with growing demand.
The proposed project will create a one-of-a-kind facility of 24 fields with both artificial and natural surfaces to enable play at all levels through most of the year. The high quality of the project will attract tournament play from the region and may even include national level tournaments. The number of fields helps insure that our youth have access to soccer fields for both practice and games and reasonable times. In addition to soccer fields, the complex will include a multi-purpose facility to serve additional recreational needs of the community.
The cost for this measure is modest in comparison to the benefit. The average homeowner in Johnson County will be asked to pay yearly less than they pay for one-month's cable television service. The Johnson County Parks and Recreation Department has demonstrated that it can successfully operate sports complexes, and judging from past experience, this facility will eventually pay for its operations costs through user fees.
