Where Will They Put The Proposed Turf Facility In Sioux Center?

Sioux Center, Iowa — The City Of Sioux Center and Dordt University want to build a new indoor turf facility. But among other challenges, one of the main ones is — where is it going to go?

According to Sioux Center Mayor David Krahling, all three locations that are being discussed are part of an area called “Open Space Park.” The area is a half-mile wide and almost that long, and includes many facilities, some of which you’d expect a city to own, and others, perhaps not so much.

(as said) “The Open Space Park is a City property. Over the years, a number of different things have been developed on that piece of property. A number of those things have been projects of the Joint Use Committee, which is the City, Dordt University, and the Sioux Center Community Schools. The all-season center, The Tsunami Water Park was on that property, the football field, softball field complexes are all part of that park. The Sioux County Youth Fair has had a space there. They share buildings with the Saddle Club.”

Besides encompassing the entirety of the Sioux County Fairgrounds, Open Space Park also used to include all of Sioux Speedway, which in recent years was sold to Sioux Center Schools for the property on which to build the new Sioux Center High School. Also included in Open Space Park is a museum-of-sorts with a number of antique buildings, called Heritage Village.

The Sioux County Fair Board and Saddle Club have said that they are looking for other property, as the City is considering what use would be most appropriate for Open Space Park, given the changes occurring in the area. But Krahling says there are no plans in place yet for that part of the park on the east side of the property.

Krahling tells us where they currently stand on the proposed turf facility.

(as said) “The Joint Use Committee is exploring the possibility of this indoor turf facility and so we’ve been exploring the ideal location for that and that is on the agenda for our Monday, March 8th council meeting. We’ve gotten a lot of public input on three possible locations, all of those locations would be an Open Space Park, but one of them would require the relocation of the Heritage Village, which has also been a part of Open Space Park and been located in that
same area.”

He says the third option didn’t gain much traction as it didn’t seem to work very well. The second option would involve moving some of the Sioux Center Recreation Department’s softball fields. Krahling tells us that Dordt University would like to have the facility near their campus and residence halls, but the Heritage Village would like to stay where they are for obvious reasons, and that will be the issue the council will try to wrestle with at their meeting on March 8th.

Krahling tells us that the possibility has been brought up that perhaps the Heritage Village could move to property on the west side of town near Tower Fields.

He says the turf facility would be for Dordt to use as they see fit, and by fee — it would be open when Dordt is not using it — to community members and others.

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