Field of Dreams ready for the spotlight

PONDERAY — Kids playing on soccer fields in the community are no longer a dream, but a reality.

Thursday, Ponderay officials and city staff will be hosting a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the aptly named Field of Dreams.

The event, which celebrates the completion of the project's first phase, will be held at 6 p.m. at the sports complex, located at 100 Oneida Drive in Ponderay.

“'Wait, is that really happening?' 'Are they really building the Field of Dreams?' 'I’ve been hearing about that since I was a child growing up in Bonner County,'” KayLeigh Miller, Ponderay planning director and project manager, said. "These statements are often heard by Ponderay staff and elected officials regarding the regional sports and recreation facility that has been a community vision, 30 years in the making and they are proud to answer, yes!" 

The grand opening will be held at the newly completed concessions facility, located at the center of the complex. Following the ribbon-cutting, local youth sports teams will kick off on all four artificial turf fields, with Sandpoint Cutthroat Lacrosse, Sandpoint Strikers, Albion SC and Sandpoint High School girls varsity soccer competing against local coaches.

The community is invited to stay and cheer the teams on, Miller said. 

Being a part of the project, and being able to share it with the community and local youth is deeply meaningful, Ponderay Mayor Steve Geiger said.

“This regional facility is truly an amazing asset, and we are so proud to present it to the community, Geiger said. “Construction of the facility would not have been possible without the tremendous support of our local businesses, voters and the passage of the 1% local option tax, which provided the funding for this project.” 

The first phase includes six U6-U8 soccer/multi-purpose sports fields, four U11-12 soccer/multi-purpose sports fields, and a full-size soccer field. It will also include an open space on the property's southern half with a building that includes restrooms, storage, a concessions area, offices and other amenities. The northern part of the site would include a pavilion, as well as nature and multi-use trails.

The dream of a regional sports complex in Ponderay has been around since 1993 when Floyd McGhee and Mike Read, on behalf of the Sandpoint Soccer Association, dreamed of building McGhee Sports Complex. In 1994, McGhee and Read were joined by others in creating the North Idaho/Ponderay Youth Sports Association, established as a 501(c)3 non-profit to help raise funds toward the effort.

NIPYSA worked with the local farming community, businesses and Jacklin Seed and had the 50-acre site ready for play by June 1995, hosting the "Soccer Bowl." The tournament attracted about 236 teams and nearly 1000 youth athletes and, while the fields operated for some time in the late 1990s, they lacked irrigation which made it difficult to retain grass on the fields, earning it the nickname, the “Dust Bowl." 

Under former Mayor Carol Kunzeman, the city acquired the property in 2011 with the assistance of the Panhandle Area Council. However, due to field conditions and the cost of development, the property has remained largely untouched over the years. Grant funding, including a $500,000 grant from the LOR Foundation has helped the city outline a proposal — and voter approval of a one-cent local option in 2019 has generated funding for the project. In May 2023, the city accepted an $8,040,157 bid from LaRiviere, Inc., formally setting the project's first phase in motion.

A planned second phase would add a playground, sand volleyball courts, a playground, tennis courts, baseball fields and an indoor field house. The third phase would add more picnic areas, expand the field house and event center, an indoor ice rink and, potentially, a pool.

Information: cityofponderay.org/field-of-dreams

“This project truly began with the vision and determination of those that came before us, Miller said. "I am honored to help bring phase 1 to reality for our community and cannot wait to kick off phase 2. It has been amazing to see the excitement as families enter the complex for the first time and the athletes take the field."

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Field of Dreams project history

• 1993 – Floyd McGhee and Mike Read, on behalf of the Sandpoint Soccer Association, unveiled a vision for a regional sports complex in Ponderay. Working together, the soccer association purchased the 50-acre parcel from  McGhee.

• 1994 – North Idaho/Ponderay Youth Sports Association, Inc. — comprised of the Sandpoint Soccer Association, Sandpoint Strikers and the Sandpoint Baseball Association — established as a 501(c)3 and the property transferred to the NIPYSA to raise funds for the sports complex.

• 1995 – The non-irrigated farm fields were prepared for play through the combined efforts of NIPYSA and the community. At that time the sports fields were plowed and tilled for use. Local families organized and supplied equipment farm equipment and labor to prepare and plant the fields. Jacklin Seed helped out with the seed for planting.

• June 1995 – The Field of Dreams operated for the first time as the Sandpoint Soccer Association hosted the “Soccer Bowl," which included approximately 236 soccer games. Again, Ponderay officials said community and volunteer efforts were key and included everything from mowing the fields, operating concession stands and directing traffic.

• 2009 – Mike Read worked with Sand Creek Byway contractor Parson’s to place fill and precision grade the site. During this process, preliminary discussions were had with Ponderay regarding ownership of the Field of Dreams.

• 2011  — The city of Ponderay, under the leadership of former Mayor Carol Kunzeman, purchased the Field of Dreams with the assistance of the Panhandle Area Council, to create a regional sports facility.

• 2018 – Ponderay received a LOR grant of $500,000 for development at the Field of Dreams.

• 2019 – The residents of Ponderay passed the 1% local option tax to fund two projects. The Field of Dreams sports complex Phase 1 and the Front Yard Project.

• 2020 – 2023 – A committee was assembled to establish the community needs for the facility. The city then worked with Bernardo Wills Architecture to create a multi-phase development concept.

• Aug. 4, 2023 –  LaRiviere, Inc. on behalf of the city of Ponderay, officially breaks ground for Phase 1 of the Field of Dreams.

• Aug. 29, 2024 — Grand opening celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the completion of the project's first phase. The event begins at 6 p.m. at the sporting complex, 100 Oneida Drive.

    A view of the Field of Dreams under the lights. The Ponderay sports complex is holding a grand opening celebration Thursday to note completion of the project's first phase.
  

    An architect's rendition shows the concept for the Field of Dreams recreation project. A grand opening of the project's first phase will be held Thursday.