Sports

'Monumental moment' grants soccer nation's dream of fields

Drawing shows soccer fields, softball diamond and tennis courts at Berkeley Mills Park.

By Bill Moss, Published: November 30, 2024

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners awarded a $10 million contract on Monday night to build the Berkeley Mills Park sportsplex, meaning the soccer community could see its dream of new fields come true in a year and a half.

“This is a monumental moment for Henderson County in the development this site and I hope the public appreciates the effort the staff and this board have gone through to make this happen,” Chair Bill Lapsley said as commissioners prepared to vote on the contract.

The bid by Candler-based Tennoca Construction Co. of $10,068,000 came in lower than those submitted by four other contractors ranging from $10.6 million to $11.7 million. Other bidders were Vannoy Construction, Geosurfaces, Mammoth Sports Construction and Teraflex Group.

The contract award covers four regulation-size artificial turf soccer fields, paved parking lots and grading for the entire site, including preparing the land for a women’s varsity softball diamond and six tennis courts but not yet building them. Those could be added later if the board appropriates the money. The base bid also does not include restrooms or maintenance sheds.

Commissioners needed to act during their meeting on Monday night — the last one of the year —because the sportsplex is funded by a $9½ million federal American Rescue Plan grant that must be obligated by Dec. 31.

“It’s critical that the board award a contact,” Lapsley said. “We can do just the base amount or we can add some of those items — one or more or none, it’s the board’s choice. My own feeling is let’s proceed with the base bid and think about these other things in the next 30 days.”

Wanted: $1M for softball diamond, tennis courts

Adding the softball field and tennis courts would raise the total cost by $960,700 — $585,400 for tennis courts and $375,200 for the softball diamond, based on Tennoca’s bids on the alternatives sheet. The bids are valid for 60 days.

“That gives us some time to talk about the additional expense if we wanna look at them and also some time for the staff to look at the funding,” Lapsley said. Because the board called off its usual mid-month meeting, it could take up the add-ons no sooner than Jan. 6.

A site plan drawn by WithersRavenal, a construction engineering firm that is guiding the project, shows four regulation-size soccer fields plus parking on two sides of the historic Berkeley Mills baseball stadium. The drawing also shows the softball field outside the stadium’s first base line and six tennis courts beyond the right field fence.

An agreement between the School Board and Board of Commissioners called for the site to be graded for the softball diamond and tennis courts. Those sports facilities, for prep athletics, would be built when money is available. One other key facility, restrooms, is not included in the base bid and was not among add-ons contractors bid on. County Manager John Mitchell said after the meeting he expected commissioners would find a way to add restrooms. If the board does not authorize construction, the county has trailered restrooms it could park at the site, Mitchell noted.

WithersRavenel growth officer Jason A. Bertoncino told commissioners earlier that awarding the contract by the end of the year should enable a contractor to complete the sportsplex by the summer of 2026.