Yuba City eyes $8.5 million state grant for new regional sports complex
A new regional youth sports complex could be coming to Yuba City. The city's public works department is planning to apply for a state grant that could award up to $8.5 million through a revitalization program.
The grant is designed to fund new parks and recreation opportunities in underserved communities.
"But also communities that don't have a lot of parks or availability of open spaces for people. So we saw this as an opportunity," said Josh Wolffe, public works director with Yuba City.
One option would be to create a regional sports complex by working with the county to acquire the old K-Mart and merge it with Sam Brannon Park.
"It would be a 24-acre-in-total complex. In terms of fields, six to eight baseball fields, numerous soccer fields and all sorts of amenities. We've even considered things like food truck parking," Wolffe said.
The grant allows for a number of options. Besides the sports complex, the city is also considering a dog park, a mini-golf course at the aquatic park, or a new park along Bridge Street to honor veterans.
"I like the idea of a sports complex just because we have so many kids that enjoy sports. It would have a place for them all to come and do good things instead of things they shouldn't be doing," said Liz Williams, who lives near Yuba City.
"A lot of our kids travel out of the area to participate in soccer, baseball, other things. Having something here would definitely be a thing that keeps our people home but we also want to attract the outside folks too, to get the restaurant business, the hotel business," said Mayor Marc Boomgaarden.
What's unique about this grant is that there is no matching requirement.
"We haven't committed to a single location yet, and we're really doing our research to see what would work best, what would be the most competitive and what would work for the community overall," Wolffe said.
The grant application deadline isn't until September, so the city says it wants to hear from community members. The city hasn't nailed down any dates, but plans to hold about five public outreach meetings.
"Well, I am excited. I think it's a wonderful idea," Yuba City resident Sharon Hardman said. "We need more parks."