Soccer players, walkers getting new place to exercise - Dan Rodgerson

Soccer players, walkers getting new place to exercise
The Greenville News - Greenville, S.C.
Author: April M Silvaggio
Date: Apr 1, 2004
Start Page: A.1
Section: Front
Text Word Count: 490

Document Text
County buys more land at Pavilion

By April M. Silvaggio

STAFF WRITER

asilvagg@greenvillenews.com

TAYLORS -- Eastside residents will get two new soccer fields and a series of walking trails at the Pavilion off Old Spartanburg Road to meet the growing demand for athletic fields and recreation facilities.

"This is a great opportunity for the recreation district and everybody who uses the Pavilion," said Shacona Clark, 40, of Taylors, who brings her two sons to the arena at least once a week to play hockey or tennis.

"When we moved to Greenville eight years ago, the Pavilion was a big reason we bought our home on this side of town. We knew there would be plenty of opportunities for our boys."

A $100,000 study by a consulting firm in 2002 concluded that the county lacked enough parks and recreation facilities to meet the needs of suburban residents.

The study proposed $97 million worth of new parks and improvements, but voters rejected implementing a local sales tax that would have paid for the work.

This week, the Greenville County Recreation District spent $565,000 to purchase eight acres at the corner of Old Spartanburg and Scottswood roads, Executive Director Dan Rodgerson said.

The money came from the recreation district's capital budget, which includes funds from user fees and concessions. No tax dollars were involved.

"I know I'd definitely use the walking trails," Clark said. "And parents in our neighborhood are always talking about the need for more fields."

The Pavilion is in the midst of one of the recreation district's largest service areas, Rodgerson said.

Between 600 and 1,000 people use the facilities each day, he said.

Along with the two new soccer fields, walking trails, a new playground and extra parking, plans are to build a new recreation district headquarters on the adjacent acreage.

Officials hope to have the construction on the administrative office completed by November.

"We like where we are, but we don't own this property," Rodgerson said of the office space the district currently occupies off Interstate 385 near the Roper Mountain Science Center.

That site is owned by the Greenville County School District, which has asked the recreation district to find other accommodations.

The school district has agreed to pay the recreation district an estimated $350,000 for improvements it has made while occupying that site, Rodgerson said.

Those dollars will fund approximately half of the construction cost for the new office. The remaining money will come from the capital budget.

Meanwhile, that will leave only enough money in the capital budget this year to do the grading for the soccer fields. Finishing those fields would have to wait at least until next year unless the recreation district is fortunate enough to receive a grant to cover the cost of the work.

No taxes or fees are expected to increase as a result of the improvements, Rodgerson said.

KIM SUMMERS / Staff graphic

Planned Pavilion Expansion

Source: DP3 Architects

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