By Zach Hagadone
Reader Staff
It’s been 31 years since Floyd McGhee and Mike Read first envisioned a dedicated regional sports facility in Ponderay. Then conceived of as the McGhee Sports Complex, that idea simmered and grew into the Field of Dreams Recreation Complex, which is finally becoming a reality with a Phase 1 ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Aug. 29 at the site, located at 100 Oneida Drive.
Ponderay city officials and staff will be on hand for the celebration, which kicks off at 6 p.m. under the cover of the newly completed concessions facility.
“This regional facility is truly an amazing asset, and we are so proud to present it to the community,” stated Ponderay Mayor Steve Geiger in a news release. “Construction of the facility would not have been possible without the tremendous support of our local businesses, voters and the passage of the 1% local option tax, which provided the funding for this project.”
The Field of Dreams in Ponderay as seen from above. Courtesy photo.
Ponderay residents approved the 1% LOT in 2019, choosing to levy themselves for the construction of the Field of Dreams complex, as well as other elements of the Front Yard Project, the latter which aims to connect the city of Ponderay to the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail via a railroad underpass and fund improvements to the lakefront.
Realizing the Field of Dreams vision has indeed been a long-time project. After the initial concept in 1993, members of the regional sports community came together in 1995 to found the 501(c)(3) North Idaho/Ponderay Youth Sports Association, with the goal of fundraising to bring the facility to fruition.
That same year, NIPYSA worked with local farmers, businesses and Jacklin Seed to prepare the land for play, and hosted the “Soccer Bowl” tournament on the site, which included about 236 teams and nearly 1,000 youth athletes. Those fields operated into the late 1990s, but lacked irrigation, causing locals to refer to it as the “Dust Bowl.”
Under former-Ponderay Mayor Carol Kunzeman, the city partnered with the Panhandle Area Council to purchase the property in 2011. In 2018, Ponderay received $500,000 in grant funds from the LOR Foundation for design and development of the Field of Dreams. That funding — combined with the 1% LOT in 2019 — allowed the city to develop a concept plan for the full 50-acres and complete engineering, design and construction of the facility from 2020 to the present.
“This project truly began with the vision and determination of those that came before us. I am honored to help bring Phase 1 to reality for our community and cannot wait to kick off Phase 2,” stated Ponderay Planning Director and Project Manager KayLeigh Miller. “It has been amazing to see the excitement as families enter the complex for the first time and the athletes take the field.”
Appetizers and beverages at the ribbon cutting will be provided by Sweet Lou’s Restaurant and Bar. Following the ceremony, local youth sports teams will kick off on all four artificial turf athletic fields, including Sandpoint Cutthroat Lacrosse, Sandpoint Strikers, Albion S.C. and Sandpoint High School girls varsity soccer vs. local coaches. Attendees are invited to bring chairs and cheer them on.
For more information, visit cityofponderay.org/field-of-dreams-recreation-complex or call Ponderay City Hall at 208-265-5468.
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