bloomfield youth sports complex - college of...

BLOOMFIELD YOUTH SPORTS COMPLEX

Fall 2008City of BloomfieldBloomfield, Iowa

Concept plan for park developmentPrepared by:Iowa State UniversityLandscape Architecture Extension

Susan Erickson, LA, Project DirectorEmily Brodersen, Graduate Assistant


Project history and description

In the spring of 2008, Daniel Shea, Director of Bloomfield Community and Economic Development, made an application for project assistance to the PLaCE program at the College of Design of Iowa State University. This outreach program, administered by the Institute for Design Research and Outreach (IDRO), seeks to match the resources of ISU’s College of Design with the needs of various non-profit and public organizations throughout the state of Iowa.

Mr. Shea and the City of Bloomfield asked for help in designing a sports complex near the existing Girls Little League fields south of town. The application states that the city of Bloomfield is the location of the Davis County School District, and that all of the county’s youth athletic programs are located there. Participation in youth sports is growing in Bloomfield, but the number of existing facilities is inadaquate to meet the needs of the community. Many community memebers hope for a new sports complex which will give Davis County children the best opportunities for health and well-being, and to help recruit new families and businesses to the area.

PLaCE programThe PLaCE program (Project for Partnering Landscape and Community Enhancement) was initiated in August 2000 with goals of enhancing and promoting the quality and character of Iowa’s landscapes and communities. Projects selected for the PLaCE program must have potential for transferal to other sites in Iowa. The Bloomfield Youth Sports Complex can become a model for other communities in Iowa who wish to facilitate the growth of youth team sports programs among their children.

Acceptance into the programThe project for the Bloomfield Youth Sports Complex was accepted by the PLaCE program as a project for Fall Semester 2008. Susan Erickson, a landscape architect on the staff of the College of Design and Coordinator of the PLaCE program, served as principal investigator from Iowa State University and was assisted by graduate student Emily Brodersen.

Planning processThe Bloomfield Youth Sports Complex was chosen for inclusion in the PLaCE program because of the broad base of community support for the project, because there is a high liklihood of transferal to other similar projects around the state of Iowa, and because it addresses in a positive way the concept of providing facilities for a community to improve the well-being of its children through participation in youth sports.


Scale of the projectThe city of Bloomfield, located in southeast Iowa, is home to approximately 2600 residents. The town is the location of the only school in the Davis County School District, which served 448 students in pre-school through 4th grade, 369 middle school students in 5th through 8th grades, and 370 high schoolers in 9th through 12th grades in 20081.

In fall 2007, sports programs served youth in kindergarten through 8th grade with 32 soccer, flag-football, and youth football teams. Currently there is only one field for these 32 teams. In summer 2008, baseball and softball programs consisted of 45 teams of children from age four through high school seniors. Six ball diamonds were shared among these 45 teams, with high school teams recieving scheduling priority.

Importance of this projectThis project is important for Bloomfield because it supports the community’s committment to its children. Recreational sports programs are beneficial to children and youth in several ways. Sports can raise self-esteem through gains in skills, participants have the opportunity to identify with role models who are coaches and older players, and involvement in these activities promotes healthy, physically active lifestyles 2.

Building CommunityA project such as the sports complex proposed in this report can seem overwhelming, especially for a small community such as Bloomfield, but it CAN be done, and the results can improve the lives of generations. In addition to the benefits to Davis County children once the new athletic facilities are completed, the community can benefit from the improved relationships and connections which come as a result of working toward a common goal.

Any community project will benefit from including many community organizations. Local Extension personnel may be helpful in assisting to build a working committee. Community organizations which are commonly interested in assisting with projects such as this one include, school administration, athletic boosters clubs, the Lions club, Kiwanis clubs, the Rotary club, and Jaycees groups. Others who should be consulted are city and county parks and recreation employees, senior citizens groups, and any other community members who are particularly interested in athletics, recreation, and health. Community interest can be stimulated through local radio, local printed publications including newspapers and church bulletins, and through holding an event such as an athletic tournament or a community festival.

1 Davis County Schools. Accessed December 2008 at http://www.dcmustangs.com/index.htm.2 Importance of Youth Involvment in Sports by Carolyn Payne and Kate Fogarty. Accessed December 2008 at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/FY1001.


Community contactsIn addition to Daniel Shea, who initiated contact with the PLaCE program, Sam Eakins, the mayor of Bloomfield, was an important contact throughout this project. He led the initial meeting and site visit, and was the primary contact throughout the design process.

Site visitIn September 2008, Susan Erickson and student Emily Brodersen met with members of the Bloomfield community to learn more about the needs of the town. Initially, two sites were proposed as potential locations for the sports complex. The first, a parcel near Lake Fisher, west of Bloomfield, was ruled out in favor of the site south of the existing Girls Little League fields. The Lake Fisher site was said to be hillier than the south site, as well as farther from town. After meeting with community members, Erickson and Brodersen visited the proposed site to assess its potential as the location of the new sports complex.

Site informationThe plans contained in this document are based on information gathered at the site visit and on topographic maps and soil surveys found online at the Iowa Geographic Map Server (http://ortho.gis.iastate.edu) and the United States Department of Agriculture Soil Data Mart (http://soildatamart.nrcs.usda.gov/). Before actual construction begins, however, it is recommended that an official survey be made to verify topographic and soil suitability data.


Project design and considerations

Graduate student Emily Brodersen was the primary designer of these conceptual site plans, with the assistance of ISU Landscape Architecture and Community and Regional Planning department chair Doug Johnston. Two plans were created for the consideration of the community and were delivered in December 2008 for approval of the local committee. This report accompanied the concept plans.

FacilitiesTo serve the needs of the existing number of youth sports teams, and to anticipate and encourage growth in the programs, two distinct plans were created as potential designs for a sports complex. The first (see Site Plan, Concept A) is comprised of two (2) baseball fields, three (3) softball fields, one (1) flag football field, one (1) adult soccer field, and six (6) tennis courts. The second design (see Site Plan, Concept B) includes four (4) baseball fields, four (4) softball fields, one (1) flag football field, one (1) adult soccer field, and six (6) tennis courts.

In both of these plans, it is assumed that the adult soccer field and each of the softball fields can be divided for use as youth soccer fields, yielding up to 16 and 18 potential youth soccer fields in each plan respectively 3. Additional amenities In each plan include parking areas, spectator seating, walking paths, concession stands, and playgrounds.

ParkingIn these plans, the sports fields are laid out with direct access to parking in mind. The optimum design for a parking area is not necessarily the one which parks the maximum number of vehicles -- so long as there is an adequate number of stalls. Consideration should also be given to providing ample stall and aisle widths, adequate turning radii for both cars and busses, efficient movement of traffic, safe pedestrian circulation, aesthetics, and drainage. Bioswales planted with trees were included between parking aisles to provide a site for storm water infiltration and cleaning, shade, and beauty.

3 For more information about how to divide adult-sized fields into youth soccer fields, see the Small Sided Games Manual, published by US Youth Soccer. Available at http://www.usyouthsoccer.org/assets/Small_Sided_Games_Manual.pdf.


OrientationConsideration was given to the orientation of play areas in relationship to the intensity of sunlight, wind, topography, the site dimensions, point of access, vegetation, and existing facilities. Controlling the compass direction of an athletic field is a major means of limiting conflicts between sunlight and those engaged as spectators or players. In general, sunlight becomes detrimental to a person when it strikes the eyes as direct intensity light, indirect glare, or reflection from surfaces. The worst condition exists with direct intensity sunlight, which was assumed to originate generally from the south. Reflective glare can be controlled by shading, compass orientation, and the composition of the reflecting surface. Heat from the sun is also a concern, with the afternoon and evening sun in the west being the most severe.

Topography and drainageWhile a comprehensive grading and drainage plan was beyond the scope of this project, the basic topography and drainage requirements of the site were taken into consideration in the layout of the facilities. The site is basically a flattened mound, gently falling off to drainage swales on the north, south, and east sides. Amenities were situated centrally, putting them at a higher elevation and thus aiding in drainage. The higher parts of the site are also the flattest, better suiting the athletic purposes of the facilities. Baseball fields, for example, produce complex issues in grade change related to ball bounce, player security, running and fielding, and the player line of sight. Critical areas such as the infield must be fairly flat with a gradual elevation to the pitcher’s mound, yet sufficient slope must be provided to insure surface drainage.

The composition of this site’s soil dictates that drainage lines will most likely be necessary to promote safe and usable sports fields. Storm water detention areas are included in these plans as wetlands. These wet areas can be populated with native grasses and forbs, whose deep root systems allow for greater water infiltration rates than cool-season grasses. These wetland areas, along with bioswales (vegetated ditches), help to clean fertilizers, pesticides, and sediments from storm water before the water reaches a stream.

Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, marital status, disability, or status as a US Vietnam Era veteran. Any persons having inquiries concerning this may contact the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, 3680 Beardshear Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-1031, (515) 294-7612.

CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLANAthletics

Wetland/Infiltration Area

Bioswale

Parking

Maintenance/Storage

Playground

Multi-Purpose Open Space/Overflow Parking

Recreation-Fitness Path

Shelter/Picnic Area

Concessions/Restroom

Facilities and Amenities

Flag Football: 120’ x 300’

Soccer U6: 75’ x 60’


Soccer Adult - U13+: 210’ x 360’

T-ball - Softball: 210’ Center, 170’ Corner

Baseball: 350’ Center, 310’ Corner

BLOOMFIELD COMMUNITY SPORTS COMPLEX Bloomfield, IowaConceptual Master Plan

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Spectator Seating/Bleachers

Batting Cages88

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Tennis7

710

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N50 0 100 300

Partnering Landscape andCommunity Enhancement

SITE PLAN, CONCEPT A

CONCEPTUAL MASTER PLANAthletics

Wetland/Infiltration Area

Bioswale

Parking

Maintenance/Storage

Playground

Multi-Purpose Open Space/Overflow Parking

Recreation-Fitness Path

Shelter/Picnic Area

Concessions/Restroom

Facilities and Amenities

Flag Football: 120’ x 300’



Soccer Adult - U13+: 210’ x 360’

T-ball - Softball: 210’ Center, 170’ Corner

Baseball: 350’ Center, 310’ Corner

BLOOMFIELD COMMUNITY SPORTS COMPLEX Bloomfield, IowaConceptual Master Plan

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Spectator Seating/Bleachers

Batting Cages8

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99

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9

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Tennis7

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N50 0 100 300

Partnering Landscape andCommunity Enhancement

SITE PLAN, CONCEPT B

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