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The dude from Tulane was right about us
Investment in our kids wise move
Web Posted: 11/09/2005 12:00 AM CST
San Antonio Express-News
Taking on the challenge of providing more recreational facilities for our youth might seem pedestrian when compared to the excitement of going after an NFL franchise.
But in the end, making a commitment to ensure San Antonio becomes a healthier city will be infinitely more important than landing a pro football team.
That's why it's important Mayor Phil Hardberger and other city leaders remain committed to a plan that would add much-needed youth soccer and baseball fields to the San Antonio landscape over the next two years.
Better yet, why limit this investment to soccer and baseball? Let's add more city swimming pools and tennis courts.
As George Block, a founding member of the San Antonio Sports Foundation, said recently, this is not as much a sports issue as it is a public-health issue.
"It's a pay-me-now or pay-me-later thing," Block said. "If we don't get our kids to start exercising, we're going to see a medical-expense catastrophe down the road that we can't even contemplate now."
Given San Antonio's growing problem with juvenile diabetes and childhood obesity, Block couldn't be more correct in his bleak assessment of the situation.
Susan Blackwood has made facilities for youth sports a top priority since becoming executive director of the Sports Foundation in 1996.
"It's a shortage and a problem that is difficult to put our arms around," Blackwood said Tuesday. "It affects all sectors of the community. We are always looking at what public and private dollars we can partner to make these facilities a reality."
The need for more youth recreational facilities in San Antonio, especially soccer fields, became an issue last spring when former mayor Ed Garza made a push to bring Major League Soccer to the city.
Garza's plan died on the vine after running into heavy resistance from skeptical citizens, but the debate produced at least one positive. It raised our awareness of the shortage of facilities for youth sports in San Antonio.
The City Council approved $21.2 million in public-bond money in April to build a 13-field youth soccer complex at Brooks City-Base and make improvements to the Alamodome as part of the deal to bring the MLS to San Antonio.
It was then that San Antonians learned their city has only 57 soccer fields for some 20,000 players. There was a time when San Antonio had 164 fields, but the number dropped significantly when many at Retama Park were lost to development in the area.
After the MLS deal fizzled, the plan was reworked to build a soccer complex at Brooks City-Base and Culebra Creek Park. Each complex would have 20 fields suitable for big tournaments.
The sticking point for the Brooks City-Base project will be securing more funding for road access to the fields.
"We'll need the mayor to help us change the order of street projects," Block said. "This will be a great economic driver on the South Side because of all the traffic that will come in for tournaments."
Baseball and soccer fields also will be built at McAllister Park, Pearsall Park, Olmos Basin Park, Copernicus Park, Monterrey Park, Oscar Perez Park and Havana Park.
Malcolm Matthews, director of the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department, said work at all nine parks should be completed by the middle of 2007.
"We didn't get into this problem overnight, and we aren't going to get out of it overnight," Matthews said.
The city will use $5.8 million in public-bond money to help fund the projects at the nine parks. Unfortunately, more money will be needed.
It's going to take a cooperative effort by the city, county, private sector and nonprofit groups to make this work.
"The reality is that no one en y can do this by itself," Block said. "It's going to take a mind-set change. People are going to have to say goodbye to their empires."
Hardberger campaigned against the MLS deal but supported the plan to add facilities for youth sports.
"The mayor believes it's a public-health issue," said J.J. Saulino, a spokesman for Hardberger. "He's always believed we need more recreational facilities."
As I've noted before, leading the fight to make our city healthier would be an enduring legacy for any mayor.
And it would cost a lot less money than bringing an NFL franchise to San Antonio.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/c...h.2f02359.html
The dude from Tulane was right about us
Why, because we want the kids of our city to have decent places to play? Nothing wrong with that.
This is stupid plan left over from Festus mayor moron...
Brooks property needs to be for medical campuses and business. Not a bunch of fields.
It's a disgrace to a place that deserves better.
Oh well there are so many monkey's buried back there it's polluted anyway. I would not want to play soccer there. Lot of radioactives and junk.
I think I'm going to touch myself.
The youth of San Antonio need much more exercise than they are getting. Build more parks and fields! And parents need to get out there, too.
thats not nearly enough
I'm all for giving our kids more places to play. Hey, this might even shed a few pounds on out "Fat" reputation.
However if MLS comes here, I'm gonna puke.
Yeah, me too. If they do come here, shoot me before turning the gun on yourself.I'm all for giving our kids more places to play. Hey, this might even shed a few pounds on out "Fat" reputation.
However if MLS comes here, I'm gonna puke.
Yeah, me too. If they do come here, shoot me before turning the gun on yourself.
NOOOOOO, please nooo MLS, lets all shoot ourselves
Goooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllll
Goooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllll
:vomitHowever if MLS comes here, I'm gonna puke
Anyone here into disk golf?A couple of buddies of mine are really into it. They play a course in New Braunfels and 2 in SA. I went out to tag along a couple of weeks ago. It's damned hard to nail those baskets. But, the cool thing was the courses. Large, big trees, mellow. A good place to bring a big, chilled out dog. We need more places like that.
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