Overview of the History of the Sports Complex
Late 90’s - Early 2000’s
Before acquiring the land where the Sports Complex now stands, the Town had plans to build the park on the school property across SR260. Funds were invested in developing a concept plan with an architect, and a copy of this plan is available in the Public Works Department. This history is important because it demonstrates the Town's long-standing commitment to establishing a large community park, a vision that dates back to the 1990s.
The Town of Camp Verde was awarded $2.5 million in a Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant (LWCF) for construction at the Camp Verde Sports Complex. The LWCF State & Local Assistance Program provides matching grants for local and state park projects outside national park boundaries. LWCF grants are locally determined and competed for at the state level through a process designed and managed by Arizona State Parks and Trails.
Camp Verde Economic Development staff worked with Public Works and Parks & Recreation to submit the original grant request in the spring of 2020. The State parks Board approved the grant in October 2020, however, due to COVID the final award was postponed until September of 2021. The grant required matching funds from the Town so the decision was made in the fall of 2020 to place much of the construction on hold in order to conserve the available Town funds to meet the match. It was hoped that the grant decision would be made before the start of 2021 but that turned out to not be the case.
During the waiting period, Town Council approved funding for time sensitive pieces of the project including the permanent underground connection for the reclaimed water from the Wastewater Treatment plant, parking lot improvements, and items such as bleachers, goal posts, and scoreboards that would allow play on the Soccer/Football fields in the fall 2020 even if complications with the grant delayed the project longer. Also during this period, Public Works began engaging with Arizona Department of Transportation regarding plans for the expanded access to the park off Hwy 260.
In September 2021 Public Works began working with Tierra Verde Builders to resume the large scale construction on the project. The primary goals were to have the soccer and football fields ready to be used late that fall and the baseball/softball fields ready for play the following spring. We were working with a local architect to complete the design work for the restroom/concession building with the finish date still undetermined.
In February 2023 major milestones were achieved. The sanitary sewer system was completed in preparation for the future concession/restroom building. Tierra Verde Builders installed the field lighting systems for the soccer/football fields and baseball fields. They were also able to complete the chain-link fencing around the baseball fields. Within the next few months additional improvements were completed, including the dugouts, baseball infields, football goal posts, flag poles, the concrete curbing for the entry walkway, and storm drain system.
Along the way the park has presented numerous challenges to overcome. One of these challenges included how the Town planned to irrigate the fields. We planned to use reclaimed water on the fields but to allow the public on the fields while irrigating with reclaimed water, an amendment to the Town’s Aquifer Protection Permit was required by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. This was an important document that addressed the safety aspect of using something other than potable water to use for irrigation. At that point the wastewater treatment facility was producing A+ water for over a year without a problem. This water is deemed the highest quality recycled water and is generally safe for human exposure.
The sports complex is now open and ready for use. Over 65,000 people have visited the park in 2024 alone. While residents and visitors can enjoy the amenities currently available, there are still significant projects the Town plans to complete. The most significant of these include the addition of a concession/restroom facility in the promenade directly adjacent to the baseball fields. We anticipate this amenity to be complete in April 2025. With the arrival of the concession/restroom building we will finally be able to install the concrete walkway from the parking lot up to the promenade area. This work will be completed immediately after the concession building is complete.
Other future projects include the installation of a maintenance building and pickleball courts. The maintenance building will house the equipment and supplies necessary to maintain the sports complex. This building would be situated along the south side of Champion Trail across from the parking lot. Future pickleball courts have a home at the sports complex immediately south of the south baseball field. Lighting for these courts has already been installed. We will also be installing shade trees throughout the park.
