Henderson County Soccer Association leases land for new playing fields

From the Times-News, more on the Henderson County Soccer Association's lease of property:

With funding help from Park Ridge Health, the Henderson County Soccer Association has negotiated a lease-to-buy contract to create a multipurpose athletic park on the former site of Jake's Driving Range on Asheville Highway.

The “Park Ridge Health Family Athletic Park” will be developed on a 20.78-acre parcel now owned by Mike Justice, who recently closed the driving range started by his father, Jake, 43 years ago. The park will feature a walking trail, picnic area, playground and enough room to accommodate four full-sized soccer fields.

“It is our intention for the facility to be a hub of community outings,” said Association President John Strickland, a local dentist.

Park Ridge Health has already committed $50,000 for “startup capital” and is also paying for the playground, Strickland said. Developing the playing fields, trail and picnic area will cost about $100,000.

“We will have to grade, level and crown the fields,” Strickland said. “We will have to install drainage to keep standing water off the fields. We will then ‘sprig' the fields with Bermuda grass to produce the optimal playing surface. In the future, we hope to have artificial turf, but at present, the cost of this is prohibitive.”...

The association serves an average of 1,200 kids each year, including players ages 5 through 18 in recreation, academy, challenge and classic level teams. The group currently has 11 travel teams made up of 150-200 players....

Anyone interested in donating towards the new soccer and recreational facility can contact the association at hcsasoccer@gmail.com.

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