Field of Dreams moves forward

PONDERAY — The Field of Dreams took another step forward Monday as the Ponderay City Council unanimously approved a bid to begin construction on the project's first phase.

"I think Mr. McGhee would be very proud and happy at this point in time that he's actually going to see some realization to this project that has been on the table for probably three decades," Mayor Steve Geiger told the council after the bid was formally adopted. "I think we're doing a great job here."

The council unanimously voted to approve a $8,040,157 bid from LaRiviere, Inc. with construction likely to begin in late June.

Bids also were received from Selling Construction, Inc., which bid $8.838,277; and J7 Contracting, which bid $9,618,567.

The first phase of the project had been estimated to cost roughly $9.2 million.

In approving the bid, the council was assured by city staff that the LaRiviere was excited to begin on the project and were confident they hadn't missed anything. The amount of the bid likely is more tied to "efficiencies" in the type of equipment the company uses and has on hand, city staff told the council.

LaRiviere officials said their goal is to begin "moving dirt" in late June — depending on the moisture content of the soils at the 50-acre site.

The next step is to execute the contract, hold a pre-construction meeting and draft a schedule for work to be done on the site.

The city acquired the 50-acre “Field of Dreams” property — formerly known as “McGhee Sports Complex” — on Highway 95 in 2011. However, due to field conditions and the cost of development, the property has remained largely untouched over the years. Grant funding has helped the city outline a proposal — and voter approval of a one-cent local option in 2019, has generated funding for both projects.

In surveys and talking to people in the community, some of the most popular ideas include an indoor field house, hockey, indoor walking tracks, tennis and soccer among others, Geiger said. There is a lot of interest, he said, in getting a community center out there for people of all ages.

Geiger said previously that development of the Field of Dreams could also help the northern part of the city in getting the infrastructure to aid in expansion and residential development, as the sewer is the biggest issue in that area.

Improvements and construction of infrastructure at the Field of Dreams will take place in three phases.

The first phase includes six U6-U8 soccer/multi-purpose sports fields, four U11-12 soccer/multi-purpose sports fields and a full-size soccer field. It would also include a large open space on the property's southern half with a building that includes restrooms, storage, a concessions area, offices and other amenities. The northern part of the site would include a pavilion as well as nature and multi-use trails.

A planned second phase would add a playground, sand volleyball courts, a playground, tennis courts, baseball fields, and an indoor field house. The third phase would add more picnic areas, expand the field house and event center, an indoor ice rink and potentially a pool.