Construction crews are working to complete a new field, resurface gravel parking lots with asphalt, and install and improve lighting at the Eureka Soccer Park before youth league games begin on Sept. 7.
The city of Eureka has spent $1,727,000 to improve the park at 102 Williams Road. The city purchased the 28.43-acre facility for $3 million from Roma Land LLC in March 2023.
Along with purchasing the facility last year, Eureka entered a lease agreement with United St. Louis Academy to allow the organization to continue using the park as its home. The academy has been at the park since 2019.
Eureka committed $2.8 million for soccer park improvement projects, according to the city’s 2024-2025 budget.
City Clerk Julie Wood said Eureka is using funds from the $28 million sale of the city’s water and sewer system to Missouri American Water in 2021 to improve the park.
The Eureka Board of Aldermen voted unanimously on July 16 to pay Reinhold Electric of St. Louis $327,000 for electrical and light installation services at the park.
In May, the board voted to spend $1.4 million to install the new field, resurface the parking lots, put up fencing and improve the utilities at the park in a series of contracts.
Wood said Reinhold Electric will install the lights around the new field and enhance the lighting at the two existing fields. Reinhold Electric will work with the contractors currently working at the soccer park to develop a timeline to install the lights, she said.
Other contractors include Accurate Paving Company Inc. of Fenton, which will complete the asphalt pavement project, and GeoSurfaces Inc. in Bloomsdale, which will lay the turf on the new field.
According to city documents, Eureka anticipates installing more fields at the park.
The Eureka Soccer Park is the second youth-sport oriented project for the city in the last few years.
Earlier this year, seven new fields for baseball and softball were completed in Legion and Lions parks as part of a renovation project that began in 2023. The city entered a contract with Play9 Sports, a St. Charles-based sports management group, earlier this year to operate baseball and softball tournaments at the parks.
Play9 Sports is paying the city $186,000 to rent the fields from March through October, according to city documents.
Previously, Mayor Sean Flower said by growing youth sports in Eureka, he hopes that more tax revenue is generated, and local businesses see an increase in sales. According to a written statement from Play9, the partnership is estimated to generate $5.3 million in economic activity in the city.
Finance Director Barb Flint said Eureka’s sales tax revenue has increased since last fiscal year, with the city receiving a total of $973,453.98 this June compared to June 2023 when the city received $758,793.07.
However, Flint said there are many factors to why Eureka’s sales tax revenue increased, including inflation and population growth. She said the Windswept Farms subdivision in particular has grown significantly in the last year. She said it was “early in the game” to attribute Play9 Sports to any increases in revenue.
Youth soccer
Parks and Recreation Department Supervisor Luke Hollman said youth soccer league practices began on Monday. He also said if the new field is not ready when games begin, the youth league will still be able to play at the facility during construction.
“We know that the third field might not be complete until September, but both (existing) fields are operational right now,” he said. “We still rent out the facility even though there’s construction going on. There are areas for people to park despite the construction, so we can keep the facility open.
“I think by Sept. 7, that place is going to be looking pretty great.”
The youth soccer league teams, which are open to children from 3 years old to fifth grade, previously used other city parks to practice before the city acquired the Eureka Soccer Park. Last year, Hollman said the city entered a contract with Discovery Youth Soccer League (DYSL) to help schedule games and practices, train referees and provide coaches with training materials.
The Board voted 5-0 on Aug. 6 to renew the contract this season. Ward 1 Alderman Wes Sir was absent from the meeting.
Eureka will pay DYSL $240 per team in a four-player-versus-four-player league; $285 per team in a five-versus-five league; $370 per team in a seven-versus-seven league; and $585 per team in a nine-versus-nine league. The amount the city will pay DYSL will depend on how many teams register by Sept. 7 according to board documents.
“We’re moving into our second year with DYSL, and it’s been a really good relationship,” Hollman said. “They have really good communication with coaches and referees. We’re hopeful that DYSL can bring in a lot more teams than just your local Eureka teams.”
This is also the second season the youth teams have played on the turf at the Eureka Soccer Park, Hollman said. With the additional field, more teams should practice and play games at the facility.
Hollman said the United St. Louis Academy uses the existing fields about 90 percent of the year, Monday through Thursday. Youth soccer league games are held on Saturdays and Sundays.
The facility also is rented to club teams, Hollman said.
“A big benefit of this construction of the third field is that we wanted to accommodate our tenant in United, and also, we wanted to accommodate our local league teams,” he said. “That third field is really going to allow us to do both. Our teams are going to be able to use the facilities, and United is going to be able to use the two fields they have been using.”