Tyson Fresh Meats gives Pattee Park Soccer Complex $100K boost

Project nears $300,000 halfway point

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2020
Marking the ceremonial donation in August 2015 by Tyson Fresh Meats of $100,000 toward the Pattee Park Soccer Complex were, from left, Tyson Chaplain Steve Murdock, Tyson Human Resources Manager Alberto Olguin, Tyson Plant Manager Mike Grothe, Perry Mayor Jay Pattee, Perry City Administrator Sven Peterson, Perry Parks and Recreation Director John Anderson and Perry Industries and Perry Economic Development representative Bill Clark.

A big step was taken Tuesday toward completion of the $600,000 Pattee Park Soccer Complex when Tyson Fresh Meats announced a $100,000 donation for the project, bringing the fundraising effort close to the midpoint at $268,000.

The soccer complex will be built west of the Pattee Park baseball and softball diamonds, between W. Fifth Street and Diagonal Road, and will feature four soccer fields, a 25-space campground and a wetland buffer trail and retention pond.

Tyson Fresh Meats logo“We’re happy to support this project and excited to see Perry’s continued growth as a family-friendly place,” said Mike Grothe, plant manager of Tyson Fresh Meats near Perry. “Soccer’s a great sport to bring together all the nationalities in our community, and we support that.”

The Tyson donation will go toward the buffer trail and retention pond, parts of the project’s first phase. Perry was awarded an Iowa Department of Transportation Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) grant of $100,000 last October, and the city made a matching contribution of $38,480.

Donations by local business, industry and civic groups have also moved the plans along. The Perry Soccer Club, ITC, Hotel Pattee and Bock Family Foundation have contributed, with the Tyson Fresh Meats donation giving the project further momentum.

Pattee Park Soccer Complex Funding to Date:

  1. REAP Grant Award: $100,000
  2. REAP Grant City Match: $38,480
  3. Perry Soccer Club Donation: $10,000
  4. Hotel Pattee Donation: $5,000
  5. Bock Family Foundation Grant: $5,000
  6. ITC Donation: $10,000
  7. Tyson Fresh Meats: $100,000

Perry Mayor Jay Pattee, who accepted the symbolic check from Grothe, said the steady fundraising gains show the power of public-private partnerships.

“A decade ago, we didn’t know where or how, so to see it all falling into place is just very exciting,” Pattee said. “As I always say, the best things that every happen are when the private sector and the public sector work together.”

Tyson’s six-figure gift “sets the stage for further funding,” Pattee said. “Whenever you apply for funding, agencies like to see that you are serious about it, that you already have some skin in the game.”

Jon Wolseth, specialist in Latino community and business development with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, said the Tyson Fresh Meats donation “is great news for Perry. I’m glad the city has paid attention to what folks have been saying they need. This is a big step in the right direction. A recreation facility like this will offer economic opportunities through soccer tournaments and competitions and also opportunities for greater community integration.”

Grading for the project will begin this fall, according to Perry City Administrator Sven Peterson, and the first field could be ready as early as next spring. The projected completion date for the soccer complex is June 2016.

“We just had a tournament here,” Peterson said, “and we had a little bit of trouble getting everybody together into one complex, so this will really be exciting for our next year’s tournament.”

Josh Shields, lead architect on the project with the city of Perry’s engineering consultants, Bolton-Menk, explained the planned phases for constructing the soccer complex.

“We’d made a few more minor modifications than I thought between initial concept development and identification of the Phase 1 project,” Shields said. He said the pond, which will be stocked for fishing, will serve as the main stormwater collector and treatment element for the site.

Shields said the south trail loop is currently listed as an alternate addition for the project and might be installed if the City receives competitive bids. Future phases will include expansion of the parking lot to full build-out, construction of additional soccer fields, with their required earthwork and subdrains, full build-out of trail around the site and installation of bio-swales to help with stormwater collection and treatment.

2015-07-21_PatteeParkExpansion-Ph1
The plan for the Pattee Park Soccer Complex shows the full build-out proposed for the site, with the planned Expansion Phase 1 Project in full color and future phases being covered by a semi-transparent overlay. Source: City of Perry and Bolton-Mank

 

 

 

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