MUSCATINE, Iowa – The Houser Street Athletic Field and Parking Expansion will be officially opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 5, at the complex located on Houser Street across from the Muscatine Soccer Complex. The public is welcomed to attend the celebration.
The 200 parking spots will be ready for patrons use starting Thursday but the four athletic fields will not be available until 2020 according to Parks and Recreation Director Richard Klimes.
“We still have some irrigation to complete and the light poles to set,” Klimes said. “And, we want the grass to mature more before we allow activity on the field.”
The ribbon cutting ceremony is being conduction by the City of Muscatine in conjunction with the Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GMCCI). Greg Jenkins, executive director of the GMCCI, will serve as Master of Ceremonies.
The project is another successful private-public partnership for the citizens of Muscatine and further enhances the availability of recreational opportunities in the south end of Muscatine. Kent Corporation, Alliant Energy, Musco Sports Lighting, Carver Trust, and Muscatine Power & Water were major partners in the project along with City of Muscatine Administration, Parks & Recreation, Public Works, and Community Development. Others who were a part of the project include Leadership Muscatine, the Boy Scouts of America, the Parks and Recreation Commission, and the soccer subcommittee.
Along with an additional 200 parking spaces to service the recreational amenities in the area, the expansion also includes four lighted, irrigated multi-sport playing fields, enhanced safety street crossings, and a future trail head for four trails that connect near the east end of the expansion.
The Muscatine Soccer Complex annually entertains an estimated 250,000 visitors while the adjacent Kent State Park hosts approximately 400,000 visitors annually. Recent additions to the area include the Muscatine Pollinator Park and the Muscatine Dog Park. Four trails, Kent Stein, Deep Lakes, Pollinator Park, and the soon to be started West Side Trail, come together on Houser Street.
Needham Excavating, Inc., was awarded the field grading and parking expansion project in July 2018, with the $850,000 project essentially completed earlier this spring. The design and engineering was conducted by iiw, P.C.