A new multipurpose turf field is coming to De Soto.
De Soto City Council members voted 4-0 on Dec. 19 to award a $3,158,952 contract to ATG Sports in Festus to build the multipurpose field off Vineland School Road next to the De Soto Athletic Complex.
The property where the new field will be built is owned by the De Soto School District, which will lease it to the city at no cost.
“This project is unique in the fact that it is a multipurpose field, so it can not only be used for baseball-softball, but also soccer, as well as be used by the community to accommodate a number of different activities,” City Manager Todd Melkus said. “No other city in this area has any field like this that can be utilized by so many people.”
The ATG Sports base bid was $2,319,922 for a 138,517-square-foot turf field, with additional options that will add $839,030 to the project, including LED lighting, scoreboards, parking areas, spectator seating, dugouts and other related work, Melkus said.
The project also will include a connection from the walking trail between De Soto High School and Vineland Elementary School to a 10-foot concrete walkway around the entire multipurpose field complex.
In addition, the project will include a road that will connect with parking on the west side of Vineland Elementary School, Melkus said.
On Jan. 9, he said city officials hope ATG Sports can start work on the project within the next two months and complete it by the fall of this year.
Melkus said the city went through the National Purchasing Cooperative’s BuyBoard Contract program to choose ATG Sports.
“(National Purchasing Cooperative) analyzes the costs and does all the vetting of the company,” he said. “Obviously, ATG is a local company that has done most, if not all, of the turf fields in this county, so we look forward to working with them.”
The De Soto School District Board of Education voted unanimously Dec. 15 to approve the lease with the city. Superintendent Josh Isaacson, who also chairs the city’s Park Board, said the duration of the lease is 50 years.
He said leasing the property to the city is the extent of the district’s involvement with the development of the project.
“Our teams may be able to use it, but that will be the same for any community group that goes through the city,” he said.
Melkus said plans for the new field have been years in the making.
“The city of De Soto and the De Soto Park Board have been preparing for the project for the past three years by holding numerous feedback and planning sessions, as well as building up a reserve from the city of De Soto park tax revenue in order to pay for the upcoming project,” Melkus said.
Isaacson said the road that is included in the project will be a big plus for the school district.
“The connecting roadway will allow the school district to use the facilities during the day and will enhance overall safety by reducing the amount of traffic sitting on Vineland School Road during student drop-off and pickup,” he said. “Getting people off of Vineland School Road will certainly improve safety for everyone.”
Melkus said the multipurpose turf field will be an asset to the entire area.
“It’s going to be a community facility,” he said. “There will be little league, high school – all ages. It’s a city-owned facility on school property.”
Waterplay area to open soon
Another recreational project, an all-inclusive waterplay area under construction near the athletic complex, is nearing completion, Melkus said.
He said city officials hope to see it finished by this spring.
The council approved the project last March and at the time expected it to be finished by the end of summer 2022, but construction was delayed due to supply-chain issues, Melkus said.
“They were working on it through the fall.”
Brookside Contracting in De Soto was awarded a $567,961 contract to build the waterplay area.
Plans for the waterplay area include a splash pad with a water geyser in it and related features, all of which adhere to Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
Staff writer Steve Taylor contributed information to this story.