Renovations Going On At Mesquite Sports Complex

By BOBBIE GREEN

The Progress

The Mesquite Sports and Event Complex, located at 635 World Champion Way on the northwest end of Mesquite, is in the midst of extensive renovations. A series of improvements are planned to make the complex more attractive to sporting events all across the region.
The old artificial turf has already been torn out on the fields.

A new drainage system is now being added. This is expected to handle the flooding that occurs from time to time, when the area gets heavy rains.

After the new drainage system is in, crews will re-level and start laying down new turf surfaces with the newest technology.
“Technology and evolution of synthetic turf has come a long way since that was put in,” said Nicholas Montoya, Director of the Mesquite Department of Athletics and Leisure Services. “It is much safer and has improved playable surfaces.”

Newer additions to the original plans include lines stitched into all of the fields. The lines will be color coded for different sports: white for football, yellow for soccer and blue for little soccer.

According to Montoya the stitched lines will save the city money and man hours, not having to paint, remove, and repaint for the different sports.

The modern high-quality artificial turf systems include a shock pad and organic, non-resilient infill. Such innovations have resulted in lower risks for concussions and lower extremity injuries, Montoya said. The new turf also dramatically lowers surface temperatures which is important in regular conditions of triple digit temps as are frequent in Mesquite. The materials also make less of an environmental impact, Montoya explained.

“Water conservation is high on the list of making strides to better for our community,” Montoya said.
The company doing the work is CG&B enterprises, a subsidiary of Hellas Construction Inc.

The Mesquite city staff is currently on location at the site only to maintain the natural grass and park areas at the complex, Montoya said.

The make-over for the complex was made possible with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). This federal relief program, passed in Congress in 2021 and signed by President Joe Biden, has provided funds for state governments and municipalities. It was meant to help communities recover from losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The cost of this project is $3.6 million with a completion date slated for September 19, 2022.
“The renovation will put the city in a position to bring more events into the Sports Complex like big football and soccer events, adding economic stimulus for the community,” Montoya said.