Plan to turn James Street complex into Streator High School soccer’s home progresses

A plan to bring Streator Bulldogs soccer to James Street Recreational Complex by fall still is on track.

City Manager David Plyman said the goal for the high school would be to turn the north football field and the large baseball field into soccer fields. The high school would be responsible for the majority of improvements to the fields. The large baseball field is not in use this summer and on Monday was overgrown with weeds, including in the infield dirt.

Plyman said the smaller baseball fields utilized for T-ball and the dog park still will remain in place.

The city and the high school district are looking at a 10-year intergovernmental agreement. Plyman said the agreement will need to be finalized soon if the high school is going to be able to utilize it this fall. The district will need to grow grass and irrigate seeds. Plyman said the city will need to improve the irrigation system.

Future phases of the project will include improving the lighting, removing fencing and putting in more parking, Plyman said.

The high school district has said it is interested in using $63,000 in funds to support improvements for the fields via a Community Partnership Grant with the Illinois State Board of Education.

The Streator High School athletic facility is where the boys soccer team plays its season during the fall, while the girls soccer team plays during the spring at the Streator YMCA.

The biggest issue is the high school’s facility is shared grounds with baseball, softball and football practices, said Athletic Director Nick McGurk to Shaw Local Radio in May. As a result, the fields get plenty of wear and tear with no time for the grounds to recover, making it less than adequate for additional teams to use.