Plans for soccer fields move forward

The club can have
preferential scheduling but not total control.

CANFIELD — Legal questions have been answered satisfactorily, paving the way for township trustees to move forward with construction of soccer fields in a new park on Herbert Road.

Trustee William D. Reese said he would be meeting with architect Tom Keller this week to make arrangements to have bid specifications prepared so the fields can be prepared this spring.

The township bought 58 acres on Herbert Road, a little more than a mile west of state Route 46, about 18 months ago.

Reese said he received an opinion from the Mahoning County prosecutor’s office that the Canfield Soccer Club is permitted to contribute money toward the construction of the fields and receive top priority from the township for use of the fields.

Reese said it is permissible for the club to get preference in scheduling but not complete control.

About 750 players in the community have used a variety of locations for their games, including the Canfield Fairgrounds and the Canfield schools, Reese said.

Soccer fields were identified in a community survey as the No. 1 need in the township, Reese said.

The township bought the former farmland for $837,000 and paid for it by taking out a 30-year loan that is being paid off with proceeds from the hotel-motel tax money the township now receives from the Hampton Inn on Ironwood Boulevard, Reese said.

The land will need some dirt-moving and landscaping, plus the purchase of soccer goals and extension of utilities such as water, sewer and gas. The township plans to apply for a variety of state grants to help with the costs, Reese said.

The total cost of the soccer field construction and the amount that is likely to come from the Canfield Soccer Club is not known, Reese added.