LAGUNA NIGUEL : Council to Decide on Sports Complex Site
Faced with increasing demand for sports facilities, the City Council must decide today whether a wetlands area is the proper place to build ball fields.
The city staff is recommending against acquiring about 15 acres of wetlands along Cabot Road near Crown Valley Parkway for a sports complex that would cost more than $6 million.
In addition, putting athletic fields in the Galivan wetlands basin would invite flooding and incur heavy maintenance costs, according to a staff report, which added that replacing brick dust infields alone would cost about $100,000 annually.
“It was always something of a longshot,” City Manager Tim Casey said. “When the city first looked at that site as a potential sports field, we had yet to complete our own parks system.”
The city has since entered into a partnership program with local schools to share their facilities and added lights to sports fields in three other parks.
The property is owned by the county, which would require the city to buy another 15 acres of wetlands to replace the Galivan basin. The city estimates that would cost about $2.25 million.
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