HomeMy WebLinkAbout022825 email - For The TeensALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Dear Jefferson County Board of Commissioners:
We are twelfth graders at Port Townsend high school, and we both grew up playing sports here in town. In fact, I'm going into my fifteenth year playing soccer here and I am going to
be captain of the varsity soccer team. Sam also played soccer in town for multiple years, as well as baseball. Soccer is a big part of our lives, but it's hard to play around here and
it's always been a struggle in this town to find a field to practice on.
Currently, I have to leave town to play, which doesn't feel right. Part of the reason is because there's no field here. There is no turf or grass field with lights for community use.
This town needs a place where the ground isn't messed up, a place where we can practice in town, a place where we can stay out after dark playing sports and having good, clean fun.
We believe in developing a turf soccer field in town. This playing field would be used for decades and would benefit everyone in this community, as well as the tourists who vacation
at the fort.
The Washington State Park agency's 2021-2031 plan and priorities focus on “improving Customer experience and Quality of life.” This field falls into both of those categories: the community
would enjoy and would definitely use a playing field. A sports field improves health and fitness and provides social opportunities, all of which improve quality of life. The field would
meet a real need: locals don't have any good places to go and play pick-up games, as Memorial field is closed to the public, and you have to pay to play there. Memorial Field is fenced
in and not always cared for. The field at Blue Heron is unkempt with no lights, bad goals, and no lines, and that's about it for places to play in town.
The High School team or select and even some club games are all held on nice turf fields with lights and a stadium. We’re not asking for a multi-million dollar field like that, but how
nice would it be if memorial field was turf and open to the public, here in port townsend, there's an opportunity to work with the city and establish a dream: a place where people here
in town can go and play soccer and other sports, just a few stadium lights, turf, some goals, and spray-painted lines and we could play after dark.. We need a field where teens can
practice without driving out of town. It gets dark here by 5 for most of the winter and the demand for youth in this town is for more things to do. The men’s soccer league would also
benefit from this field as more people are joining all the time and they have complained about the lack of good fields here. This town needs a place like this, and the people need a
place like this. It has worked with the city in the past to get projects done like this.
The city would benefit from adding a playing field, as it’s part of their plan to improve the customer experience. even without painted lines. They would enjoy it even more with the
addition of lights and lines and goals and TURF.
We are grateful for what the city already offers. We know this field could not happen right away, or maybe at all. However, we love this area and the community and we think this would
be a great addition to the campus. A playing field would truly benefit the local community, as well as our visitors. As a soccer player I feel compelled to reach out to you, as It’s
too late for me, but maybe in the future youth here can kick the ball around throughout the summer and the winter. I hope that you will consider how we could make this work.
Right now is the perfect time to start this project. Soccer is growing in popularity, this town is urbanizing, and this is an urgent need. We recognize that the funding is a problem,
and we wonder if there might be some opportunities for a grant.
Best regards,
George Lewis and Sam Slater