New Highland Park Sports Complex opens – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

A ribbon-cutting was held on Saturday morning for new soccer fields at the Highland Park Sports Complex at 4900 Shawnee Drive, Kansas City, Kansas. Holding the scissors was Unified Government Commissioner Angela Markley, center, with Bobby McFarland, youth sports director, on the left in the blue shirt, and Camellia White, executive director of the Turner Recreation Commission, on the right. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)

by Mary Rupert

With a marching band, a ribbon-cutting and a soccer match, the new Highland Park Sports Complex was launched on Saturday morning at 4900 Shawnee Drive in Kansas City, Kansas.

The project includes three irrigated natural soccer fields on 20.8 acres, said Camille White, executive director of the Turner Recreation Commission. It is near Midland Elementary School.

“We have provided a place for our youth in Turner to play soccer,” White said. There were no soccer fields in Turner specifically for Turner Recreation programs before this, she added.

The complex also includes a futsal court built a few years ago, a concession area and restrooms.

In the future, there are plans for a playground, baseball and soccer fields, she said.

White, who has been executive director of the Turner Recreation Commission for six years, said the Unified Government gave this property to the Turner Recreation Commission. Some of the fields also are on Turner school district property. Turner Rec then used capital outlay funds, setting some funding aside each year for this project.

“There was no tax increase for this,” she said, “no mill levy increase.”

White said she hoped the project would be completed in five years, with a phase planned every year.

During the past phase, the soccer field was rebuilt, the concessions stands and restrooms were rebuilt and the parking lot was redone, she said. In the last year, the main work of the soccer fields was completed.

During the ribbon-cutting, White mentioned the dedicated work of a Turner Rec employee, Bobby McFarland, youth sports director, a salaried employee who worked late and Saturdays to make this project come to fruition.

White said nearby residents have been coming to the Highland Park Sports Complex to walk, and eventually, a walking trail will be built to connect all of the areas in the complex.

Teams or persons who want to use the soccer fields are asked to make reservations with the Turner Recreation Commission, http://www.turnerrec.org/.