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39 <br />healthier turf, less wear to the fields, reduced maintenance, and increased ability <br />for use. <br />3. Wilshire Park Soccer Reconfiguration: $.128,500. The only elementary school in <br />St. Anthony Village sits on a five -acre site with a jungle gym, a swing, and a tee - <br />ball field. By re -grading a vacant portion of the site and reconfiguring the <br />location of the tee -ball field, it is possible to fit up to three additional youth <br />soccer fields or one regulation soccer field, and enable simultaneous youth <br />softball or tee -ball play together with soccer games, which would expand the <br />limited facilities available for youth soccer—and provide the only dedicated <br />soccer facility available in the city. Restructuring green space is one creative way <br />to create more youth recreation fields in our otherwise fully developed city. Our <br />community has been vocal in its request for more soccer space and this <br />reconfiguration helps meet this demand. <br />Use and Operations <br />Central Park, and the nearby facility at Wilshire Park Elementary, is one of the busiest <br />urban athletic parks that can be found in Hennepin County. Each spring, summer and <br />fall, in excess of 2,200 youth participants involved in organized activities would benefit <br />from these improvements. <br />Allowing for the renovation of fencing and the e36sting lighting in the Stadium Athletic <br />Complex would considerably improve access and use, allowing additional practices <br />and competitions and reducing the shortage and competition for facility space that is <br />limited because St. Anthony is a fully developed city. Current demand for field space is <br />greater than availability; lighting renovation would be the most efficient solution for <br />more field access and improved use opportunities in a fully developed community with <br />limited green space. The field lighting is arnefficient example of a multi -use facility, <br />which is necessary in a city of St. Anthony's size and its inability to grow. <br />The softball improvements are necessary for safety and expanded use, and to provide <br />equality of opportunity to young women and men alike. Extending the softball <br />fencelines to the outfield fence, in a similar manner to those located on the adjacent <br />baseball facilities, would enable adequate protection for athletes and encourage young <br />females to continue their athletic endeavors by engaging them in athletic contests in a <br />facility comparable with those afforded other athletes in St. Anthony and in other <br />communities. <br />The ballfield drainage improvements are essential to reducing congestion on the fields <br />at peak times. Drain tile on Central Park's ballfields is critical to prevent cancellation of <br />practices and games for all sports in the park because of frequent water -related issues <br />affecting the playing surfaces. These games are often forced to be thereafter played in <br />23 <br />