Soccer complex gets cash infusion

A desert lot near Cimarron-Memorial High School often cluttered with discarded election signs will soon be converted into a sea of lush green soccer fields, Clark County officials said.

Clark County and Las Vegas are pitching in to come up with $6 million to build a soccer complex and leisure park on 60 acres that surround the high school at the corner of Tenaya Way and Lake Mead Boulevard in the valley's northwest.

"This will be a soccer complex that will rival or take over the Silver Bowl," county analyst Mike Popp said.

Silver Bowl Park, home to the county's most popular soccer field, is in the southeast valley, more than 30 miles away from residents in the northwest. Silver Bowl Park and two designated soccer fields in the city fail to meet the demands of youth soccer leagues, which have between 10,000 and 12,000 members.

Parents have complained of the Silver Bowl surface, which is mostly used for softball and baseball. They say it is dangerously hard and uneven. While both the city and county lack fields, parents have threatened to sue the county.

"People don't see the lines between the city and county. They see a need for facilities," Popp said.

The Bureau of Land Management had initially planned to construct an administrative building on the 40 acres between Cimarron-Memorial and Lake Mead Drive.

Commissioner Lance Malone and City Councilman Larry Brown, who both represent the northwest, convinced the BLM that the lot would be a better location for a park. The BLM gave the county a letter of intent last month.

Popp said the final design of the park should be finished by summer and that construction should begin by the end of the year. The fields are expected to be open by fall 2000.

"Of course we always hold our breath until all our T's are crossed and I's are dotted," Popp said. "But we think we're there."

Popp said although one of the 11 soccer fields at the complex will be a championship field, the high school might also allow leagues to use the stadium for big games.

"This will be a destination location; a place where we can host local league and national championships."

A more leisurely park will be built on an additional 20 acres behind the high school stadium, Popp said.

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