by Matt Wright
After years of desperately needing more athletic fields, the City of Lakeland is close to having more space for kids and adults to play.
Two different athletic facilities will provide 7 new fields for recreation and competitive sports like soccer, tackle football, flag football, and potentially even city and school lacrosse. The larger of the two facilities is being constructed by the Lakeland School System on the eastern side of the Lakeland Prep campus. An agreement with the Parks and Recreation department of Lakeland will allow Lakeland rec teams to use the fields for a variety of sports throughout the year. The facility will consist of 5 flat fields, 4 of which will have lights. It will also have parking and a restroom and concession stand building.
According to Dr. Ted Horrell, Lakeland Superintendent, three of the fields will be 110 yards by 65 yards, and the other two will be larger measuring 110 yards by 70 yards. Dr. Horrell says they expect the facility to be ready for use by August 1, 2021. Pat O’Mara, Parks and Recreation Director for Lakeland said football and soccer might start practicing at city hall fields in summer for preseason workouts, but he fully expects to have those teams practicing and playing at the Lakeland Prep facility in August. Having lights at the facility will be a big upgrade for Lakeland teams since the City Hall fields would use construction lights to try and light the fields in October and November.
The school will also use the facility in different ways and according to Dr. Horrell, it will provide a solution to a variety of issues. Dr. Horrell stated, “We know from our own experience, and that of other schools, that athletic field access will be in demand. This will become particularly important when we have both middle and high school teams working out, practicing, and playing games in the same season.” He also added the fields can be used for other reasons like fundraising and possible tournaments saying, “Having five fields also allows for significant fundraising capabilities for teams or booster clubs because we could host tournaments in a variety of sports.”
The second facility, which will begin construction this summer, is the long-awaited Lakeland Athletic Complex and Recreation Park located on Memphis-Arlington Road. That facility is located on 100 acres the city owns and has gone thru several renditions after encountering some wetland issues.
The City will build phase 1 of the park this summer and officials believe phase 1 will be complete by September 2021. That project is funded by capital funds from the city budget, as well as a $500,000 Grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation which was acquired under former Mayor Wyatt Bunker. According to Mr. O’Mara, phase 1 will include two multi-sport flat fields that are approximately 360 feet x 170 feet. Unfortunately, there will be no lights on those fields at this time since there is currently no power available on the property. Future phases hope to include power and lights.
When asked about what the rest of the park will include, Mr. O’Mara said, “The City of Lakeland is currently working with Barge Design Solutions to revise the Lakeland Athletic Complex and Recreation Park Master Plan. In 2018, when wetlands were identified on the site, the phase 1 plan was redesigned, and the master plan created in 2017 became obsolete. We expect to have the new master plan for that site to the Parks and Recreation/Natural Resources Board (PRB) for their recommendations during the summer and the Board of Commissioners shortly after the PRB has approved it. Future phasing of the Athletic Complex will be determined upon completion of the site master plan process.”
One topic that comes up consistently is the question of baseball and softball fields for Lakeland recreation teams. Mr. O’Mara said while the two facilities under construction do not include baseball or softball fields, it’s certainly something the city is studying and hopes to address in a future phase of the park.
