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Letter of Support for Dubuque Soccer Alliance Bid for Dubuque Soccer ComplexCity of Dubuque City Council Meeting Action Items # 03. Copyrighted August 15, 2022 ITEM TITLE: Letter of Support for Dubuque Soccer Alliance Bid for Dubuque Soccer Complex SUMMARY: City Manager recommending City Council approval of a letter of support for the Dubuque Soccer Alliance regarding their bid to acquire the Dubuque Soccer Complex from the Dubuque Community School District. SUGGESTED Suggested Disposition: Receive and File; Approve DISPOSITION: ATTACHMENTS: Description Type Letter of Support for Dubuque Soccer Alliance Bid for Supporting Documentation Dubuque Soccer Complex History Dubuque Soccer Alliance Supporting Documentation THE CITY OF DUB TE, Masterpiece on the Mississippi To whom it may concern: Dubuque City Manager's Office City Hall 50 West 13th Street AII•AmerinCity Dubuque, IA 52001-4845 I I Office (563) 589-4110 I I I. Fax (563) 589-4149 TTY (563) 690-6678 2007-2012.2013 ctymgr@cityofdubuque.org 2 017 * 2 019 www.cityofdubuque.org The City of Dubuque has been represented on the Dubuque Soccer Alliance Board to help assist with planning, by-law and policy development, grant writing, and the donations of resources such as mulch and playground maintenance since the creation of the Dubuque Soccer Alliance in 1993. In fiscal year 1999, the City of Dubuque partnered monetarily in the capital funding of $45,000 for a playground and $134,000 to connect the sewer lines to the new concessions stand. In 2012 the Leisure Services Manager, Marie Ware participated in conversations between Dubuque Soccer Alliance and the Dubuque Community School District that led to the approved current Second Amendment to the Lease Agreement is from May 10, 2013-May 9, 2023. Attached to this letter I have included information about the Dubuque Soccer Alliance and the Dubuque Soccer Complex. The City of Dubuque is supportive of the Dubuque Soccer Alliance being able to continue with soccer programming for area youth at the Dubuque Soccer Complex and hopes that the Dubuque Soccer Alliance has the bid that is accepted by the Dubuque Community School District. Sincerely, ichael C. Van Millige City Manager MCVM:sv cc: Jon Denham, Dubuque Soccer Alliance Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney Marie Ware, Leisure Services Manager Service People Integrity Responsibility Innovation Teamwork PURPOSE: The purpose of the Dubuque Soccer Alliance (DSA) is to build and maintain quality soccer fields for the youth of Dubuque and the surrounding communities. The DSA is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) tax exempt organization founded in 1991. The Alliance is comprised of all the soccer playing organizations in Dubuque. The Dubuque Soccer Complex is located on J. F. Kennedy Road near the Northwest Arterial intersection on leased land owned by the Dubuque Community School District. There are seven full sized soccer fields with a rest room/concessions pavilion and parking for 380 cars. Prior to 1996, games were played throughout open spaces on city parks, school fields, and at McAleece Sports Complex The DSA's goal is to build and operate this facility through funds raised from the private sector and user fees, and not rely on the tax payer for operational costs or improvements. This is a volunteer organization. OPERATIONS: Facilities are used for approximately 1250 soccer games and eight cross country meets between April and November. There are no lighted fields, all games are held during daylight hours. There are usually about three part time employees and volunteers as backups. The concessions operation is leased out to a vendor. The Dubuque Soccer Alliance does not sponsor any teams or tournaments, but allows the High Schools, American Youth Soccer Organization and the Dubuque Soccer Club to schedule games and pay a user fee which covers the maintenance cost. Each user group schedules their own games and provides supervision to their time slots. The DSA in turn lays out the fields, fertilizes, mows and lines them for play plus provides the goals, nets and field equipment. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Soccer is the second largest participant sport in the United States behind basketball. In Dubuque we have over seventeen hundred (1,700) youth age five to eighteen playing AYSO non-competitive instructional soccer; four hundred (400) youth in the Club Spring and Fall Developmental Leagues; three hundred (300) youth playing competitive traveling soccer with other teams within a 100 mile radius; one (1) adult league of six teams; three (3) High Schools fielding both men and women junior varsity and varsity level teams and three (3) local colleges fielding both men's and women's teams. Soccer is a sex neutral sport. In Dubuque over 50% of all participants are female. Approximately 28% of all the children between the ages of five and eighteen play organized soccer. Close to thirteen hundred (1,300) soccer games are played between April and October and on a busy summer evening one thousand (1,000) spectators, coaches and players will be at the facility. In addition three (3) major weekend summer soccer tournaments eight to ten (8 to 10) high school and college cross country meets are scheduled in the fall. OPERATING BUDGET: The complex operates on an annual maintenance budget of $45,000.00, which is balanced by the payment of membership and user fees. Expenses increase on the average of 5 to 10 % per year. In 1998 a seasonal employee was contracted. CAPITAL FUND DRIVES: This entire project has been made possible by the contributions and donations of the Dubuque Community School District, local businesses and individuals, plus the City of Dubuque through its partnership program. The following is a highlight summary of the major sources of support. PHASE I -Dubuque Community Schools leased the land. -Deere and Company donated the needed earth moving equipment. -Local retired heavy equipment operators donated time for excavation work. -IIW donated the engineering and surveying. -Pancratz Construction organized the building of the maintenance shed. -River City Paving donated a substantial amount of stone and paving. -Willenborg Plumbing donated labor for water projects. -Simon Landscaping donated equipment and labor for seeding. -Dave Cushman of Morrison Brothers and John Duggan donated trees. -Businesses and individuals contributed over$350,000.00 in cash. -Plus thousands of volunteer hours. PHASE II: Building a 86 x 48 foot rest room/concessions pavilion-1999 -$130,000.00 generated in a fund drive and "Buy a Brick Campaign" -Architect, Steve Ulstead designed the building and monitored construction. -City of Dubuque provided sewage extensions lines and building hook ups- -In -kind donations and discounts for materials and labor were received for excavating, electrical hook-ups, cement foundations, lumber and plumbing. -The city also installed a playground with equipment. -A Donor Recognition Board is on display on the south exterior wall along with pavers from the brick campaign. PHASE III -Help from River City Paving and the City of Dubuque in asphalting the back parking area. -Help from Steve's Ace Hardware in landscaping around the pavilion. -$41,000.00 DNR recreational grant from the State of Iowa EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT Grants from the Dubuque Racing Association have been very helpful in replacing maintenance vehicles and purchasing new field equipment. HISTORY OF SOCCER IN DUBUQUE: 1985-Youth soccer started in Dubuque. 1987- Parents requested DCSD Athletic Council to adopt soccer as a club sport in 1988. Council voted in December of 1987, to delay for at least two years a decision on adding soccer as a team sport due to financial constraints, lack of coaches and no facilities. 1988 In April, Denis Albright and Tim O'Brien proposed a parent group raise $16,000.00 to fund soccer for a two (2) year pilot program. A combined girls and separate boys teams were scheduled to start in the spring of 1989. 1989-DSCD Board of Education approved parents' proposal to finance high school soccer for a two year period. Games were initially played at Clarke College and Emanus Bible College. Pizza sales provided funds for uniforms and equipment. Parents funded coaches' salaries and transportation. 1992-As the number of High School and AYSO soccer participants continued to grow, the need for more fields and practice sites became critical. The City of Dubuque and DCSD did not have the funding to develop new fields, so volunteer soccer enthusiasts stepped forward to approach the problem. 1993-Dubuue Soccer Alliance founded, with the first chartered meeting organized by Judge Allan Pearson. Dubuque Community School Board approved a ten year lease of a 55 acre tract of land on J F Kennedy Road to the DSA for the construction of soccer fields and a cross country course for $1.00 per year. Land rezoned from Agricultural to R-1, with a request to the city to waive the $300.00 fee. A May Ground Breaking Ceremony was held with the following major sponsors present: Jeld-Wen, John Deere, W C Brown, The City of Dubuque and the Dubuque Community School District. This was followed up by a Community Kickoff Fund Raiser at the Loras Alumni Center. 1995-Opening Ceremonies and first games played at the Soccer Complex on May 7. 1997-Completion of the seventh (7) field and a woods cross country course, moving a total of a 100,000 cubic yards of soil during the total construction. 1999-Porta potties were eliminated with the construction of a Rest/room Concessions Building 2000-Dedication of the Dubuque Soccer Complex with fields named for major contributors; John Deere, McGraw Hill Companies, Jeld-Wen, Dubuque Bank & Trust, River City Paving, and Pizza Hut. 2009-DSA modified the no practice clause in the By -Laws allowing Senior High Men's Soccer teams a spring outdoor workout area as they were without a facility on which to conduct their workouts.