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59 <br />goalposts, which will allow the grassy areas behind the endzones to be used for youth <br />soccer. <br />The Stadium Complex is the only outdoor facility containing a bleacher system of a size <br />sufficient to hold a large crowd within the city and most of Northeast Minneapolis. The <br />softball field is the city's only high school varsity -regulation softball field, and the <br />proposed soccer fields at Wilshire Park would be the only fields dedicated to soccer <br />within the city. As such, these projects enhance St. Anthony's recreational facilities <br />without overlap, while meeting the changing needs of demographics. The <br />contemplated project fits appropriately into land already designated as <br />recreational/ open space so no change of zoning or use is required; and the entirety of <br />the project is proposed only after analysis of the immediate needs of the community's <br />youth athletic programs. <br />USAGE PROJECTIONS <br />Current field usage for our Park exceeds capacity. St. Anthony is desperately short on <br />field space. <br />Under Minnesota Department of Education guidelines, a School Building should have a <br />specific amount of recreational/ open space adjacent to it depending upon the number <br />of students in the school facility. In this case, Central Park, as adjoining St. Anthony <br />Village High School and St. Anthony Middle School, would need to be over 50 acres in <br />order to satisfy the guidelines. However, Central Park is approximately 19 acres in <br />space; meaning, St. Anthony has far less space than is recommended by state <br />guidelines. Wilshire Park itself would need approximately 18 acres of its own; and it <br />has only 5 acres. <br />Not all of the 19 acres is usable. Central Park's poor soils lead to difficult drainage. As <br />a result, large sections of the Park are reserved for water holding and drain fields. <br />While not wetlands, these areas are critical to prevent water from ruining existing <br />playing fields, while at the same time, not running off into neighboring homes. But this <br />prevents usage of these areas as reliable playing areas and further limits the already <br />inadequate playable space. <br />The facts regarding use give credibility to the inadequacy of St. Anthony's park space. <br />In St. Anthony alone, there were a total of 965 children in youth programs sharing these <br />fields alone for softball, football, soccer, baseball and tee ball during a typical sports <br />year. Add an additional 75 baseball players at the high school level, together with 60 <br />high school softball players and 150 high school soccer players, and it becomes evident <br />AN <br />