At Nienhuis Park opportunities abound with new turf

A recent upgrade from natural turf to high-quality synthetic turf at Nienhuis Park, 3201 N. 9th St., is more than just an improved playing surface on a football field.

"These fields represent opportunity," Mayor Debra Wimpee said. "Opportunity for our kids to play, compete, cheer, and grow-from kindergartners taking their first snaps, to high school seniors finishing strong in Broken Arrow. This project was made possible because Broken Arrow voters believed in investing in our quality of life."

Mayor Wimpee, speaking at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Feb. 10 at the park, said for her, it is "personal."

"All three of my kids, and now my granddaughter, have played or cheered on these very fields," Wimpee said. "I've stood on the sidelines, sat in the stands, and watched memories be made right here. I know first-hand what these fields mean to many families. As we celebrate today, we're also looking ahead to the next bond that will bring even more improvements by continuing to invest in parks, recreation, and facilities just like this that serve our growing community and strengthen Broken Arrow for generations to come."

City Manager Michael Spurgeon opened the ceremony by thanking Broken Arrow voters for voting for the General Obligation Bond that included the Nienhuis Field turf project in 2018.

"The people are the ones that should be thanked for actually stepping forward and voting for this," Spurgeon said. "It creates an opportunity to gather. The Mayor and the Council have continuously said that while we're growing, our number one goal is to maintain that small-town feel. By having amazing facilities-football, lacrosse, fast pitch, slow pitch, soccer, baseball-it creates opportunities for our community to come together in these venues. These opportunities include community gatherings, youth engagement, and fostering a strong sense of belonging, which all contribute to maintaining that small-town feel."

Likewise, City of Broken Arrow Parks and Recreation Director Matt Hendren marked the occasion by saying, "May this be a place of tough competition, shared laughter, personal growth, and unforgettable memories."

"The two new turf football fields at Nienhuis Park are a significant enhancement to Broken Arrow's parks and athletic facilities," Hendren said. "These fields provide a durable, all-weather surface that allows for more consistent scheduling, increased programming opportunities-such as expanded leagues, camps, and tournaments-and safer playing conditions for our youth and community partners."

Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC) designed the project, while Mammoth Sports Construction, LLC served as the construction contractor. The project was completed at a cost of $1,584,739.20.

"This project was funded by the 2018 General Obligation Bond as an unnamed project, and we were able to use the leftover Proposition 3 funds to complete this project to the benefit of hundreds of kids every year," Spurgeon said.

Unnamed projects are identified by the City of Broken Arrow as potential improvements. However, unlike named projects in the bond, they are not required by state law to be completed if the proposition is approved. These projects are considered for completion after all named projects are finished, using any remaining bond funds.

Now, with the completion of the project, Broken Arrow youth-from kindergarteners to high school seniors- will play football, lacrosse, and cheerlead through the Broken Arrow Youth Sports organization on Nienhuis turf.

Executive Director Chad Lott of Broken Arrow Youth Sports is a lifelong Broken Arrow resident and credits Broken Arrow voters with the vision and foresight to support these types of facility improvements.

"And so, with the fields, it means additional opportunities-additional opportunities for extra practices, additional opportunities for better practices, not only the lines that are sewn in and perfect, but it allows them to execute and learn at a different level, a little bit better technology than grass," Lott said. "It also increases our opportunity to create sales tax revenue by bringing these tournaments into the city. It gives our local teams the opportunity to stay local, and they don't have to spend their money on hotel rooms in Dallas. So, the ancillary benefit from that is, we can put that money back into our program."