Minutes - 11-01-2000 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Economic Development Director Dianne Reid made comments about the dedication of the task force. She said that three subcommittees were formed to address access, models of economic development, and inter-league cooperation. The task force concluded that soccer is a clean industry that has positive economic benefits and promotes teamwork and a healthy lifestyle. The task force also concluded that positive economic development impacts in terms of tourism expenditures could result from hosting tournament play. Recreation and Parks Director Bob Jones read the recommendations as listed below: ~:~ Fields should be located in a dispersed fashion throughout the County in order to improve accessibility for all and to reduce travel time. ~:~ There should be multiple fields at each site so that parents can drop off children of different ages. ~:~ Fields should be irrigated, lighted, and sited in an environmentally sensitive manner. ~:~ A promising model for field development is one in which public entities provide basic fields and soccer organizations finish the facilities. ~:~ Apublic-private partnership should be established to explore development of a soccer complex in Orange County, with established soccer interests to take the lead in fundraising for construction. ~:~ All soccer organizations in the County should collaborate to provide coordinated soccer programming throughout the County. In this scenario, the County would supply facilities and the private organizations would provide programming. ~:~ If County funding is involved, including providing land, scholarships will have to be available to County residents who cannot afford programming fees. ~:~ Consistent with the Master Recreation and Parks Work Group Report, the acquisition of land for soccer fields should be included in active recreational areas developed pursuant to future bond issues. Public Comment Mauricio Castro said that he was representing EI Centro Latino. He said that by the year 2020, the Latino population would be the largest minority group in the country. He feels that soccer presents an opportunity to socialize with other people. He said that soccer was a very important component in the lives of the people in the Latino community. He said that soccer was a chance to fight crime in the community because the youth would have a place to go. He feels that it is so important to provide the soccer fields to the Latino children so that they can interact with other cultures. He said that by talking with other people and playing soccer, he has been able to make a lot of friends and it has given him the opportunity to see how closely two cultures can understand each other in a soccer game. He asked that the County Commissioners consider a bond referendum so that everyone in Orange County can enjoy this sport. Anson Dorrance, the women's soccer coach for UNC-CH, shared an experience he had in Haiti as the coach of the U. S. National women's soccer team. He said that the Haitians were surprised that women from the United States could play soccer so well. He told of all the countries he lived in while growing up and said that he actually learned how to play soccer at UNC-CH and learned how to coach soccer at the Rainbow Soccer League in Chapel Hill. He gave a brief history of the Rainbow Soccer League. He told of the many professional soccer players that were trained in Chapel Hill. Garrett Love recognized the girls, all eleven and under, who were present in support of the recommendations. Rick Kennedy talked about how he became interested in soccer. He said that there were a lot of people in the County that want to play soccer but there are no sufficient fields. Commissioner Halkiotis suggested that the Board ask the County Manager to bring this back within 30 days with a recommendation. He is afraid that the soccer issue will be put on a shelf if it is not pursued now.