Friday, Jul. 18, 2008

Parking Triples at Trophy Club’s Harmony Park

By A. Lee Graham

Staff Writer

Area athletes have 105 reasons to celebrate Trophy Club’s latest park plan, with 70 new spaces planned for Harmony Park.

"The current parking lot includes 35 spaces, so we will be adding two times as many as are currently available," Town Manager Brandon Emmons said.

For months, athletic leagues have bemoaned a lack of athletic fields and parking spaces surrounding those spaces. But Trophy Club’s latest plan is expected to begin resolving the issue. Still, when it comes to field space, demand continues to exceed supply. But with Roanoke preparing a new soccer center and new parks on the way for Trophy Club, places to play are expected to multiply.

That’s welcome news for area coaches, who sought field space earlier this year after Harmony Park flooding led teams to practice and play elsewhere.

"The increased parking and new facilities will be a great improvement for the park and will go a long way towards resolving the traffic hazards during soccer seasons," said David Jahn, a Trophy Club-Roanoke Soccer Association board member.

With the newly approved Harmony Park parking spaces, athletes and their families can expect added parking just west of the 35-space parking lot along Indian Creek Drive. Spaces will triple when construction ends in September.

Handling the work is 2L Construction LLC, which underbid seven other companies in securing the contract. The Haslet firm bid $207,400.

Despite what appears as good news, are 105 spaces adequate?

"Over time, there may be fewer parking needs there because we have more facilities elsewhere," said Councilwoman Susan Edstrom, referring to future parks tentatively known as Northeast and Northwest parks.

Both projects await Town Council review when designs are finalized.

"As we develop those parks and move games out to other places, it may diminish issues we have there [at Harmony Park] to some degree," said Edstrom.