The scrappy sports field south of the Twisp Municipal Airport will be renovated this summer to create a new soccer field and a new softball/baseball field as the first phase of a larger Twisp sports complex.
The Twisp Town Council last week approved a contract with a landscape architect to develop plans and complete the first phase of the sports complex, which the town has been planning for about five years.
The project will be funded through a $450,000 state grant from the state Recreation and Conservation Office, with a $50,000 match from Twisp. Construction of the two new sports fields will begin in May, according to a construction schedule from the architect.
The town has hired Robert W. Droll, a landscape architect with headquarters in Lacey, Washington, to design and provide project management for the sports complex development.
The portion to be completed this year includes a baseball/softball field with a pony league size outfield, a backstop, dugouts and spectator area. The work also includes a soccer field, installation of irrigation, two parking stalls and paths that meet federal accessibility requirements.
Currently one field is used for soccer and softball, so completion of the first phase will allow both sports to be played at the same time on fields designed for each sport. Once work begins at the site in May, sports teams that use the field will need to find another venue, said Andrew Denham, Twisp public works director. Droll will oversee construction, which is scheduled to be completed by October.
The architectural firm will develop a master plan for the next phases of the sports complex, said Denham. Plans for the complete sports complex call for two baseball/softball fields with backdrops, dugouts and spectator areas; two soccer fields; a play area; open play and lawn areas with trees; a restroom/concessions facility; parking; fencing; irrigation; pathways; and site furnishings, which includes things like benches, tables, playground equipment and planters.
“We will need another large grant for the rest of the project,” Denham said. Much of the work to improve the existing sports field has been done by volunteers, he added. “All the volunteer labor has been excellent,” Denham said.
