Item 9: Resolution Approving PROS Project and Priority Plan

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WEISS Carolyn J From: Sent: To: Subject: COREY Kurt A Monday, March 13,200610:21 AM MEDLIN Johnny R; WEISS Carolyn J FW: soccer fields -----Original Message----- From: TAYLOR Dennis M Sent: Monday, March 13, 2006 10:15 AM To: COREY Kurt A; JONES Angel L Cc: CARLSON Jim R; MILLER Dawna A Subject: FW: soccer fields FYI--DMT -----Original Message----- From: jurgensoccer@comcast.net [mailto:jurgensoccer@comcast.net] Sent: Monday, March 13, 2006 10:05 AM To: *Eugene Mayor and City Council Subject: soccer fields Dear mayor and city council members, I have been a youth soccer coach in this community for the last 9 years in both recreational (kidsports) and competitive (OUSA, EMFC) soccer teams. One of the most frustrating experiences for the children that I coached was the lack of soccer fields in this community. There is a growing youth soccer community (both boys and girls) on both the recreational and competitive end of the spectrum. In addition, there is a growing Latino community that already comes with a love for the sport of soccer. While schools cancel PE classes and a growing public controversy entails youth obesity, soccer teams become an important element to provide the children of this community with enough fields to enjoy the game of soccer, their friends on the soccer team, and to get the necessary exercise. I have taken my teams to small patches of grass without goal posts, to muddy corners of baseball fields, to go on runs for lack of fields, to sneak on UO turf fields, and to other fields that were not planned for soccer practice. Most other coaching colleagues that I know have had similar experiences. What we need is a set of all-weather fields that can be used for soccer playing children in this community. In my coaching experience in other cities in Oregon, nowhere is the lack of fields as pressing as in this community. Springfield has just build a great facility that has two all-weather turf fields. It seems that the size of Eugene necessitates a similar complex or the transformation of some natural grass fields into all-weather fields. If you have any questions about the need of soccer fields in this area, ask the many kids that I coached over the years in this community (including their parents who had to put up with inadequate fields far from home) . I hope the city of Eugene can come up with some funds to provide more all-weather fields or natural grass fields for the children in this community. Most of the existing fields are not only used by soccer players but we share the fields with children who play Ultimate Frisbee, football, lacrosse, and sometimes baseball players. All these children need more space to play their games. Please consider within your Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan the urgent need of synthetic soccer fields for the children of this community. Best Jurgen Jurgen Ruckaberle office: 541-346-3937 1