After more than two months of deliberations, Springville has decided to go ahead with locating a $1.6 million, 60-acre sports complex off Interstate 59.

In recent weeks, the council considered moving the location to a piece of property the city already owned off Highway 11. But just getting a road to the property would cost nearly $1 million.

To pay for the project, Springville will have to sign up for a $1.6 million,

interest-only loan the federal government will pay 45 percent of the interest on.

After some deliberation, Councilman Herbert Toles, who was originally for using the already-paid-for property, said he has been asked numerous times why the city doesn’t build on that property.

Councilman Brian Skinner said when he first saw the property that sits off Highway 11 behind The gardens subdivision, he “just thought, ‘Wow, what a wonderful piece of property.’ But after we kept adding up the numbers… It kept going and going.”

Skinner noted the city would have to get a lean to allow citizens to cross the railroad, put up crossing arms there and, most likely, put in a traffic light at the entry point to the property. The only other option was to put in a road behind the Jack’s Restaurant off I-59, which would cost nearly as much as the city wants to spend in total for the complex.

“I’ve walked down the Wal-Mart property,” Skinner said, “There are just so many pluses to that property” including the fact that the land would not need nearly as much prep work before a complex could be installed.

Probably the most poignant reasons for moving forward with the complex came from Earl Peoples, who has been president of Springville’s Youth Association since 1998. Peoples also is the city’s public works director.

When it comes to people wondering why the city hasn’t expanded its sports facilities, Peoples told city leaders, “I get it from both ends.”

Peoples said the danger of locating off Highway 11 includes children who would walk or bicycle into the park and cross the railroad track. “Most of the people who are moving out here… mostly have younger kids.”

He said there are youth teams from ages three to 10, and the Youth Association is already at capacity. “We don’t have room to play all these kids,” Peoples said.

Peoples lamented the adult programs have been cut in recent years to make way for enough fields for youth sports. Peoples noted his 24-year-old daughter began playing in Springville’s Youth Association leagues when she was five, “and we still don’t have a complex,” even though there are more sports offered in Springville.

Councilman Toles then said, “We do need a sports complex, and if we don’t have a good way of getting to that [paid for] property, then we have no choice.”

Councilman Hugh Marlin said of the property between Highway 11 and I-20, “We could sell it.”

The council was unanimous on the decision, though members Wayne Tucker and David Jones were absent.

Councilman Tucker said two weeks ago he couldn’t see the city spending money on new property and said he couldn’t vote to purchase new land. “I’ll just put that out there,” he told his fellow council members earlier this month.

In May, Councilman Brian Skinner told the mayor and council that Springville only budgets 1 percent on parks and recreation, which brings in around $35,000 a year. He said by upping that amount to 3 percent, then it would help to pay off the predicted $75,000 a year on a loan.

The city agreed and put down $5,000 in good-faith money to let the property owner know they are indeed interested in the land.

In an added incentive, Mayor Isley informed those gathered that one citizen has promised him they would put up $100,000 toward the installation of the city’s first soccer field at the new complex.

Councilman Herbert Toles asked Isley if there was any way the city could hold the individual to their word. Isley responded that there was no legal way to do so. The mayor said the citizen—who has a child who participates in the soccer program in Springville—said, “I have $400,000 in a bucket out there. I certainly don’t want to spend it all, but I am willing to do what it takes to see this through.”

The Springville council will meet again Tuesday at 7 p.m. to decide how it will arrange for bonds to be secured for the financing of land for complex. The land will be bought from a Springville resident who wanted to offer up the land to be used primarily by kids participating in youth programs in Springville.