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Read comments (25)But some council members want more study done on the concept before making a decision.
Councilmen Lee Roy Cunningham and Al Stephenson bought up the matter at the end of Tuesday's study session, saying that Shelbyville has inadequate facilities for the sport.
A supporter of youth soccer said that while Shelbyville has a number of baseball fields, there is only one location to play soccer yet twice as many children -- around 1,200 -- play the sport.
The proposal from Cunningham and Stephenson would have the council vote to ask the power board if they would be willing to allow the city to use the property for soccer fields.
The area in question is directly behind a residential area on South Brittain Street. Councilman Randy Vernon expressed concern about safety since the property is next to Duck River. Vernon said an unsupervised child could easily wander into the river, resulting in a tragedy. Council members Jo Ann Holland and Kay Rose also expressed concerns about using the site, with Rose saying she wanted to have time to study the idea.
The concept has not been presented to the city's Park Board. No feasibility study has been done to consider issues such as the impact of traffic and what the costs would be, either.
Vernon then suggested using 40 acres of property near the Shelbyville airport for soccer fields. Stephenson was against the idea, worrying that a plane could crash there "and the city would never recover from it," referring to litigation.
Also, water and sewer facilities would have to be installed to handle expected large crowds. Estimates tossed about for providing those services ranged from $300,000 to $500,000.
At one point in the sometimes heated discussion, Vernon said to Cunningham: "You don't want to spend $10,000 for trees on the square, yet you want to spend half a million dollars for a soccer field."
Cunningham replied that the fields were needed due to number of participants and also pointed out that sales tax revenue could be generated by visiting teams and their parents.
Shelbyville does have a number of baseball fields and that number is 2. Two little league fields with approx. 420 players. The number of regulation size fields is also 2. The rest of the fields are softball fields.
too much of this discussion seems to based on erroneous information or misconceptions.
1) the city of shelbyville receives no revenue from the sports leagues. not from registration fees, admissions, or concessions. the sports leagues are independent entities and keep their own revenues for their own purposes. upkeep on the sports facilities are paid from the city's funds.
the exception is jr pro basketball, which is run by the city recreation department, and any revenues in excess of the cost of running the league are used to PARTIALLY defray the cost of the facilities.
2) school facilities, be it buildings or sports facilities have no administrative or financial connection with the city.
3) war trace pike soccer fields are in the county and have no connection with the city (other than their close proximity)
4) the skate park was built using donated funds. i am sure that if someone were to volunteer to pay for building a soccer complex for the city, leaving maintenance as the only issue, this would be a very different discussion.
5) the economic windfall, and boost in sales tax revenues supposedly attached to various projects (ranging from pro sports teams to bible parks) is a myth. these arguments seem to always be made based on anecdotal information, or the same tired old studies. why do proponents not back their claims with documentation of actual success stories?
because they do not exist.
i am not going to offer my opinion on building a soccer complex. but consideration of major financial commitments, such as that, ought to be based on factual information.
Get off your high horse ohwell, it was a joke.
You must be sitting on something . . .
"Also, do we really need more soccer moms driving SUVs(thank them for spiraling gas prices) while talking on the cell phone and yelling at their kids and not paying attention to the road? LOL!"
Who are you, jaxspike, to cast judgement on those who drive an SUV? I do believe there are many well paid executives that drive these same vehicles. Should we call them soccer moms, accuse them of yelling at their children, and blame them for the soaring gas prices? Give me a break!!
The issue here is obtaining a place for well over 1,000 children to play soccer. I believe that robashally said it well when stating the overwhelming amount of money that is paid to the league yearly for registration. We are not asking for a handout, just some help on getting a complex developed.
As far as education goes, I am a teacher and do believe that school comes before sports. It does bother me that we have hundreds of kids on the baseball and softball fields well after 9:00 on a school night. Soccer is a sport that is played on weekends through both rec and select teams. Therefore, this is a sport that does not interfere with academics. If anything, all sports help build character, team work, and self motivation which is passed on to the classroom.
As far as children focusing on their academics and not athletics to recieve a scholarship, please remember that we do not live in a perfect world. I see students on a daily basis that do not have the required grades to get an academic scholarship nor the family income to pay for college, but these kids are wonderful athletes. Who are we to deny them the opportunity to succeed in life by furthering their education via an athletic scholarship?
First off, I am sorry that you all have taken offense to my comments. I am only posting as a mother and soccer coach. I have seen the way that kids soccer seems to get thrown off to the side in this town.
Second, the soccer fields out at the driving range is the fields that I think you are talking about. I do know that these arent used just by Hispanics because rec league soccer teams also practice out there. The team I helped coach was one of them. We also practiced at River Bottom, which is an appropriate name for the swamp land that the kids are subjected to out there.
Third, I do not want the stuff handed to us. With 1200 kids playing in the league and paying $25 for each child to register, that is $30,000 a year that parents are paying to the rec center every fall. Sponsors pay $200 each. This pays for shirts, trophies, refs, and field upkeep. All coaches are volunteers. (Also, the number of children that play soccer has risen by about 400 in the last few years alone.) And as I said before, I would (as would most parents) be more than happy to pay an admission fee or help to raise money for this.
Fourth, I am not saying that the sidewalks are not important or that adult health isn't important. I am not here to debate which sport is better for your health. I am here to say that obviously soccer is a sport that the children enjoy and if that is a way to get them to exercise more, I am for it! Better than them sitting in front of some video game and snacking on junk food all day. I am saying that we could use a complex that would be used by an entire community. Something that could benefit all.
Last, I do believe that education is more important. My children have always been taught that. The rule at my house is school work comes before any outside activities. There are also statistics out there that says that kids who are involved in sports, band, 4H or other activities are more likely to get more out of their education.
Robashally . . . actually the Hispanic community was the only group that was using the fields on Wartrace Pike at that time and it was even documented on the Times Gazette about the litter and empty beer boxes and cans that were being left and how horrible it would look the following day. So yeah, maybe you should actually know what you are talking about before responding because I actually lived out that way and would see it all the time and it was basically all Hispanics each weekend . . . the only other people I would see would be the golfers using the range. I am not saying that as being hateful . . . it is just fact.
Also, what I think is important is making sure we get these new schools built to ease overcrowding because education is far more important than sports. Wouldn't you agree? Once we overcame the hurdle with the new schools being built and have teachers hired and situated, then maybe we could waste some money on some soccer fields. Also, we have a situation where a new library needs to be built but hasn't because they cant attain the funding they need yet. So, it is ok to spend half a million for some soccer fields but not invest that in a new library?
If so many people are interested in having some soccer fields, then why don't you people come together and finance it yourself or work on fundraising? If it is that important for you to have one then take the initiative yourself and make it happen instead of always asking for someone to hand you something. Maybe you could get a farmer to donate some land and fix it up yourself.
I would just rather see my tax dollars benefit everyone and not just a select group. Also, do we really need more soccer moms driving SUVs(thank them for spiraling gas prices) while talking on the cell phone and yelling at their kids and not paying attention to the road? LOL!
I am not suggesting anything but I am sure the High School or the Middle School does not play soccer every night. I wasn't aware that only children who go to a certain school was allowed to use that field. If that is the case there is a serious problem because I believe all of our taxes support every school in Bedford County.
On top of that the New School that is to be built next to the high school is a elementary school.
Ohwell, I was responding to the numbers given by the person with four kids who are involved in the league. The tennis point was based on what is a reasonably sustainable activity from childhood through the golden ages. Yes there are fewer tennis players, but thanks in large part to the coach of the high school team, it is growing. Tennis has also generally been considered a better heeled sport and there is a surrounding myth that it is too expensive so maybe that explains it.
I can honestly say that I would not trade any of my sports experiences for anything in the world, but I think we should worry more about getting kids in college with their brains and fewer on athletic scholarships One should never rely solely on scholarships to pay for school anyway.
As far as bringing money into this town, do you think the rec center is creating much wealth. I do think that a private soccer club would be great.( I always liked playing at the racquet club in Murfreesboro). That way the ones that use it pay a small ($20-40/mo) fee to have year round facilities. I just think that tax dollars should be spent benefitting the entire community.
I would like to say as a 4th generation resident of Bedford Co. why are the soccer families being denied year after year a chance at having a soccer complex? There are enough hard working parents coaches and players that would be glad to help out if given a place to so. Also in response to gottago how many adults skateboard on the ramps at the park complex where the U-10 fields used to be? I am also in favor of every subdivision be required to have curbs and sidewalks.
Will someone please get a percentage comparison of those that play tennis in Shelbyville compared to those who play soccer. If I am not mistaken, gottago will see that the percentage is much higher for soccer. I am not disputing that tennis is a wonderful sport for those who enjoy the game, but I do believe we have more children and teens playing soccer in this town compared to those playing tennis. The point is to get these kids a soccer complex that would not only benefit their needs, but bring money into this town. This is not about physical fitness, but about allowing these children an opportunity to build upon a game they enjoy that may one day pay their tuition to college through a scholarship.
It is evident by the comments regarding my 'few citizens comment'tat these posters simply do not understand simple percentages. There are 17,000 people in the city alone and 40000 in the county. If 1000 children and 100 others are playing that is only 6.4% of the city's population.
It is also evident that these posters are unaware that the cities with the lowest obesity rates have comprehensive network of bike paths and walk paths. And not rec center tracks or walking trails, mind you, but pathways that actually allow users to move freely about to actually get to any destination their day may demand. Yes, they have sports facilities AND the schools provide the students with the faciliites they need to actually have the teams play onsite. (Unlike the tennis teams here when this spring it was annoying to go play after the winter hiatus and the teams were there every day).
And please do not speak to me about fighting childhood obesity. As a fitness professional ( a career and not as a volunteer coach of something) with experience with both adults and children, I can assure you that study after study reiterates the fact that increased adult leisure time activity in parents increases the likelihood of the same behavior will be performed in the offspring during adulthood. To emphasize childhood fitness at the expense of adult fitness deletes the most important example of health a parent can give.
I would also like to point out that the energy systems and musculoskeletal activity requirements for soccor specifically are not likely to be sustainable for long term in adult (38 and over) participants (especially for the ACSM most days of the week recommendation). I have colleagues and friends who are still attempting to play(there are not many), but have constant pain and injury from continuing.
A more reasonable sport to persue is tennis where many continue to enjor relatively injury free for much longer. Maybe that is where we should focus our energy.
Dianatn, What about the elementary children who want to play? Are you suggesting that they play with the high school kids? There are soccer fields at the middle and high schools. The children that play rec league start at 4 and 5 years old.
Isn't there soccer fields at the High School? Couldn't they put soccer fields at the new school also? Does Harris Middle School have the space for soccer fields?
Seems to me that is where the soccer fields need to be considering the fact it is children who play soccer.
There is a soccer field next to the airport in Murfreesboro and they haven't had any problems with planes crashing. 40 acres could make nice soccer fileds and even a nice park to go with it. I have coached soccer for 13 years and when you go to the other cities they have a nice soccer complex and we do good to find places to play and to practice. Our soccer number grows every year and we need to make accomodations for it. It would pay for itself in no time if they charged a couple of dollars to get in.
As a youth soccer referee and parent of two children who have played travel and rec. soccer for 9 years, Bedford County is indeed behind most other mid-state counties in that it has no dedicated soccer facility. The fact that this topic is even being discussed in council meetings is encouraging.
I tend to agree that the South Brittain site may pose some safety concerns which could ultimately negate it as a viable location. The airport area on the other hand would seem to be quite viable. The notion of plane crashes as a danger is naive and mis-guided. There are several large soccer complexes in the area immediately adjacent to airports (e.g., Murfreesboro's old soccer fields, Bowling Green, and Nashville's new soccer fields near the International Airport).
While I no longer live in Bedford County, I spent the first 21 years of my life there, and soccer did not even exist as a sport to Bedford County children when I was growing up. To hear that you now have 1,200 Bedford County children playing the world's most popular sport is tremendous. Now you just need to keep trying to work together and build on the momentum that has already started. Yes, there will be a substantial capital investment that will need to be made by the city to move forward, but it was obviously worth the investment to the city for the other sports that have been there for awhile. I played on the new Little League fields at the City Park the first year they were built and we all thought that was the best present you could give an eager, active kid like me.
ohwell-THANK YOU!
I would be more than happy to pay a $1 or $2 every Saturday for an admission fee to watch my kids play soccer. Softball and Baseball charges admission. This would help cover some of the cost for a new sports complex.
Our soccer fields are terrible compared to surrounding area's soccer fields. This is a growing sport in our community.
Sports are such good exercise for our children. It helps with social skills and obesity. It teaches them so many things.
These children are our communities future. They are the best investment that we have. When people say "spend it on things that are more important at the moment", what are we telling them? That is saying 'you are not important right now'. Behavior is learned...if we tell children that their needs aren't important to our community were will our community be when our children are the adults?
We are in dire need for some sort of soccer complex within our community. There are always comments about the lack of support and money coming into Shelbyville. If any one is at all familiar with select/travel soccer, you would know that these tournaments bring in any where from $300-500 per participating team. Then, you have to add in the revenue from concessions, parking, and vendors at the complex. Not to mention the revenue that would be brought into our local restaraunts and hotels as many of these teams are traveling long distances from varying counties and even other states. These tournaments bring families in for an entire weekend stay, which would in turn bring plenty of money into our town.
As for the Hispanics, please visit the soccer fields on Saturdays in the fall. You will see that the majority of the children playing soccer are not Hispanic. And so what if they are? The bottom line is that we have over 1,000 children participating in soccer in Shelbyville and some of the poorest facilities for them to play the game they love!
Vernon then suggested using 40 acres of property near the Shelbyville airport for soccer fields. Stephenson was against the idea, worrying that a plane could crash there "and the city would never recover from it," referring to litigation.
Nobody was worried about plane crashes when they decided to but the hospital and industrial park out there.
jaxspike-I honestly do not think that we can blame all of the trashing just on the Hispanics that use it. Unless you have sat out there and know that they are the ONLY ones that have ever went onto those fields. Please tell me, what do we have in this county that is more important at the moment than our children? Tree's?
bgxp1996- I agree that whatever happens that the safety issue should be addressed. Thank you for clarifying the way that the comment was brought in.
I also think that if the citys budget is hurting so bad that it would be better to keep the families in the county. Give them something HERE to do...don't give them a reason to take thier money to Coffee or Rutherford Counties. I am paying for my kids to play spring soccer in Williamson county right now because it isn't offered in Bedford County. The team they play with are all girls from Bedford County. I would much rather give my money to Bedford County. I paid Williamson County for the soccer. We buy lunch there and we buy gas there. This is 12 families doing this every weekend.
My children use the sports facilities in town a lot. I have four children. Two which plays fall soccer. Of the four, I also have: two who play slow pitch, one that plays fast pitch and one that plays baseball. I also coached soccer for 7 years. So yes,I support Bedford County sports. But, not only that, I support Bedford County children. That is what is the most important thing!
In addition to the safety concerns next to the river, I also pointed out that we do not need this complex near our water treatment plant if for no other reason than for security issues alone. Additionally, the cost of additional roads and other infrastructure there would be prohibitive. That's not to mention the fact the property is highly prone to flooding which would damage the fields and any structures built there on an almost annual basis adding greatly to the overall costs.
My comments to Mr. Cunningham are somewhat incomplete as well. My comments comparing the expense of the trees on the square to the fields were presented regarding the manner in which the proposal was brought up and the lack of time that was allowed for public input. We held numerous public meetings regarding the trees before the $10K was approved yet the idea of spending the $500K (estimated) for the fields was presented at the end of the study session last Tuesday and railroaded onto the agenda for vote at the next regular council meeting in the span of about 10 minutes.
I welcome any and all responses.
R vernon / Council Ward 5
Well, you saw how the Hispanic community treated the area on Wartrace Pike the past few years when they played soccer there. Do we need another area for someone to trash?
Also, during a time when the county and city budget is hurting and we are building new schools and the national economy is slipping, do we need to waste money on something that isn't as vital as other services? If we had a surplus of money then it would be fine but we don't, we need to tighten our belt and conserve and spend it on things that are more important at the moment.
"only few citizens "? There are more than one thousand children who uses these facilities! And yes there are Hispanics who uses the fields too, probably at least one hundred. This is more than a "few citizens". The fields can also be used for football. What about if you wanted to have a family get-together? Go to the park and use the fields? People do this everyday at the rec center. The fields do not have to be ONLY for soccer. Also, there is an outdoor walking track at the park as well as an indoor track. The rec center isn't just for kids.
I think soccer fields are needed in this community. They are certainly more important than trees on the square. The trees just grow and have to be cut down anyway, and the kids get no benefit from the trees. I'm not sure about the field adjacent to the river, but I'm all for soccer fields. No one in my family plays soccer, but it is a growing sport and the kids in the community need a place to play.
"Stephenson was against the idea, worrying that a plane could crash there "and the city would never recover from it," referring to litigation. --a plane can still crash over the rec center (it isn't THAT far from the airport) or any one of the local schools for that matter. This statement is just an excuse.
"At one point in the sometimes heated discussion, Vernon said to Cunningham: "You don't want to spend $10,000 for trees on the square, yet you want to spend half a million dollars for a soccer field." " I think that these people need to think more about our counties children than trees for the square. If it wasn't for the park-baseball, soccer, football, skatepark, etc. these kids wouldn't have nothing to do except get mixed up in drinking, drugs, gangs and theft. So, yes, I think half a million dollars to give the children some kind of exercise will be a must better investment than ten thousand dollars for trees around the square. Just my opinion.
Before we consider spending half a million dollars for soccor fields that are used primarily for youth and illegals, let's consider a more pressing recreational,yet practical, addition to our city.
It does not take a rocket scientist to realize our streets are not pedestrian friendly. Few sidewalks, narrow roads, and idiotic drivers make walking or cycling an activity only the bravest souls would attempt. With overweight/obesity rates near the 2/3 mark, and with gas prices at $3.50 a gallon greater pedestrian access is sorely needed. I can barely express my annoyance at the number of times Billy Joe Redneck has come way too close too me and then revving his huge pickup truck motor while I am out for my evening walk.
Few adults play soccor unless they are of the Hispanic variety so this would be a facility that only few citizens would use. For once consider the adult population as well as youth, and allow the adults to set the example that activity is appropiate for all ages. Or would that just be too progressive?