City's soccer league looks for a home
Organizers ask council for land to build a park
By TERESA RESSEL
Daily Journal Staff Writer
Daily Journal Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
The league has been offered a 20-year lease for $1 on St. Francois Cemetery land outside Bonne Terre city limits.
At the urging of a Bonne Terre resident, organizers of the community soccer league went to the city council to see if there was a way to stay in the city limits. The league would be able to build the soccer park with in-kind services and donations — they just need property that’s big enough and flat enough.
Over the years, the city and the league have talked about several different sites — such as on the chat pile, or on the old Reynolds property land but nothing ever worked out.
David Spray and Rob Strauser asked the council if it was possible to build soccer fields in the Industrial Park.
Mayor Fritz Gower said he would like to keep the league in Bonne Terre.
It would be a temporary solution because the land is valuable, he said. He said it would give them time to look for something more permanent.
The league has been using the baseball fields for the past five years. They said dragging the equipment off the field and marking the fields is getting old. Also, the fields are not standard size soccer fields.
So far, 300 children are signed up for soccer this fall and they are still taking registrations. Their season runs from August to Nov. 1. They’d like new fields by next year.
Alderwoman Cindy Driemeier asked why they couldn’t use the football fields in the city park. Strauser said he wasn’t against it but there is a little bit of a conflict there in that he believes the football league doesn’t want them there and they are both fall activities.
City Manager Larry Barton added soccer is rougher on the turf than football.
He said they have been unable to use the old Reynolds property because the property isn’t big enough for it.
Council members said they would need a couple of days to look at the option of building in the Industrial Park.
In other matters, Gower asked if there was any reason why they couldn’t put up a sign on Lake Drive that reads, “No through truck traffic except local deliveries.” He asked the city manager to speak to the city attorney about it.
He also said residents need to know that they can not put political signs or yard sale signs on city property.
During the meeting, the council also approved an ordinance entering into an agreement with SomethingCool.com for city hall computer maintenance. The company will be in Thursday to look at the computers.
The council approved a second pay request from Essex Contracting for the wastewater treatment project and approved a bike show Aug. 23 at Michael’s Saloon.
Teresa Ressel is a reporter for the Daily Journal and can be reached at 573-431-2010, ext. 179 or at tressel@dailyjournalonline.com.
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Reader Comments (2)The comments below are from readers and do not represent the views of the Daily Journal
Desloge Dad posted on Thursday, July 24th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
More Information. The B.T. Soccer League has tried for many years to get permanent fields in Bonne Terre but the B.T. City Council has just turned a deaf ear. The soccer league has spent hours trying to find land to stay in B.T. but several city council members (especially Larry Barton)don't care and have even acted like the soccer league is a big nuisance. Now that they may move citizens are becoming concerned-except it's just one citizen. It needs to be more!! The soccer league is here for one thing-the kids. That's why I think it's absurd for Mayor Gower to say the industrial park would be a temporary solution because the land is valuable. What about the children? Are they not valuable? Also,if the land is so valuable why has it been sitting empty for so long? Soccer does make money. Soccer parents/grandparents eat out, buy gas and shop after games, but if the soccer fields move they will be doing this in Desloge instead of Bonne Terre. Think about that Mayor Gower. Take note and let your council members know you want soccer in B.T.
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Tired of people posted on Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008 at 9:12 pm
So this Gower guy doesn't want the businesses on Old Bonne Terre Rd. to use his road, just Desloge's. Ridiculous. Sounds like Bonne Terre went from nutty to circus. Barton is still there and now we add a new guy!
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