Pasco going after state grant to install lights, bleachers at Highland Park
The Pasco City Council unanimously agreed Monday to go after a state grant to add light banks, bleachers and paths to the main field at Highland Park.
The three fields in the North Wehe Avenue park are primarily used by Pasco Youth Football, said Rick Terway, Pasco’s administrative and community services director.
As the city has grown over the past decade, so has the program — from about 200 football players to an estimated 1,000, along with 300 to 400 cheerleaders.
The challenge is accommodating all of the teams for practices and the league’s game schedule. Teams have been forced to practice in other neighborhood parks, and some games are now played on weekdays, Terway said.
Installing sports field light banks in the 10-acre park would extend the playing time, especially during those late fall nights when the days are becoming shorter, he said.
Later steps would add a building to house accessible restrooms, concession, storage and a press box.
Terway recently learned of the Youth Athletic Facilities Grant through the state Recreation and Conservation Office, and needed the council’s approval before submitting an application. It is a 50-percent match grant, with a requested amount of $120,000.
The youth football league has committed to earning and donating $20,000 to the project, which leaves Pasco with a $100,000 commitment if awarded the grant. Terway said it would be part of the 2016 budget.
Councilman Tom Larsen questioned where the money is coming from and, if the city receives the grant, whether the money will be worth anything by the time it is made available late this year or early next year.
Terway told Larsen it is a competitive process, but this state Legislature has approved funding for athletic field projects.
“I think I will vote for this because we better hurry up and get that money and get it spent,” Larsen told his fellow council members.
Councilman Al Yenney said he often can hear kids playing in the park around dusk and wonders how they can see the football. Despite the dark conditions, they are “good sounds” because he knows a number of parents and kids are enjoying the park.
“You gotta remember, if we don’t have something for (kids) to do, it will cost way more to get them out of trouble,” he said.
Councilman Saul Martinez said these improvements not only would make it safe for citizens, but the city deserves to have these types of facilities and the potential for revenue with regional tournaments.
Also Monday, the council accepted the work Moreno & Nelson Construction Corp. did in upgrading Memorial Park.
The project, awarded to the Walla Walla general contractor in February, involved remodeling the picnic shelter and installing new asphalt paths and a ramp compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act on North 14th Avenue at the bus station.
The work came in $15,236 over budget for a total of $121,742 because of project enhancements, like an asphalt pathway with removable yellow posts. The crew also discovered some issues during construction that had to be addressed, such as the need for additional electrical work and rotting columns in the picnic shelter that had to be repaired and retrofitted.
Later in the meeting, Terway gave an overview of all that has happened in the park since 2010.
The first year’s improvements included remodeling the pool and additions such as two slides, a zero-depth pool and a new bathhouse. The fence was pushed back so there is a grass area around the pool, which in 2012 allowed for the addition of shade structures.
In 2013, the Kiwanis Club of Pasco built a shelter that has been a successful venue for the club’s annual Fourth of July pancake feed and city events, Terway said. And last year, the city replaced the old playground with its first all-accessible playground.
Mayor Matt Watkins, who was there Saturday for pancakes and sausages, recalled looking around and noting how the park has a different look to it.
“We’ve really kind of given Memorial Park a good facelift over the last five years,” Terway said, thanking the council for funding the projects.
This story was originally published July 6, 2015 at 10:34 PM.