Ponderay’s ‘dream’ comes true

By Soncirey Mitchell
Reader Staff

Kevin Costner’s baseball diamond looks like a T-Ball field compared to the city of Ponderay’s proposed Field of Dreams Recreation Complex, named after the classic 1989 film. Mayor Steve Geiger broke ground on Aug. 4, officially reigniting a dream that’s been 30 years in the making.

“We’re all here because of this community that has kept the dream alive for years,” said Geiger during the ceremony.

The project began in 1993 with Mike Read, a British expat with a love of soccer, and local land owner Floyd McGhee — both of whom saw a need for outdoor playing fields for the children of Ponderay and beyond. Sandpoint’s limited field space couldn’t accommodate everyone, and many children had to be excluded from local sports teams. The answer to their problem was clear: McGhee’s 50-acre lot north of Ponderay. 

The Sandpoint Soccer Association, through Read’s efforts, snatched up the land for $200,000 to be paid out over 10 years.

Officer Cameron Simeral plays soccer with local kids at the future site of the Field of Dreams. Photos by Soncirey Mitchell.

Read and McGhee’s vision gained momentum when joined by representatives from the Sandpoint Soccer Association, the Sandpoint Strikers and the Sandpoint Baseball Association, who formed the Ponderay Youth Sports Association, District 1 in 1994.

In 1995, a fleet of volunteers gathered with their personal farm equipment to plow and plant the non-irrigated fields in time for the city’s “Soccer Bowl.” Almost 1,000 children flooded the fields to play 236 soccer games and one baseball game. Onlookers were even treated to aerial views from a hot air balloon.

Unfortunately, without irrigation, the fields were impossible to maintain. Left without water, the site became locally known as the “Dust Bowl.”

The vision for the current recreation complex didn’t take shape until the city of Ponderay purchased the land in 2011. Since then, the community and local government have rallied around the venture, passing a 1% local option tax to fund both the Field of Dreams and the Front Yard Project.

“This is the most generous community,” said Geiger, standing in what will become the Field of Dreams

The local option tax raises approximately $3 million in funds per year, according to Geiger, and is bolstered by a $500,000 LOR grant from the eponymous private foundation.

“Facilities like these are essential because they promote a healthy lifestyle by getting people out enjoying outdoor sports activities, visiting with friends and families, while watching our children play sports, what could be better than that,” he later told the Reader.

As it sits now, the “Dust Bowl” is 50 acres of sun-baked silt held together by the hope and commitment of a community. The groundbreaking ceremony’s golden shovel — signed by former-Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and previously used at the Sandpoint Byway’s inauguration — could barely dent the compacted ground. Even so, the dust devils that whirled around the refreshment table are being evicted.

Phase 1 is expected to be completed by June 2024, and will include four fully lit fields with artificial turf that can accommodate multiple sports and age groups. A portion of the plan’s concessions, bathroom facilities and parking lots will also be completed to ensure that kids can get out on the fields as quickly as possible.

Though Read and McGhee are no longer here to see their vision for the field become a reality, their presence will be felt on the fields for years to come.

“They had the vision back then to see this was needed in our area,” Geiger told the Reader, “and I am glad that we are all here to honor their legacy to finally see this become a reality.”