The City of Santa Maria is receiving one million dollars from the state of California to put toward a community sports complex.
Santa Maria Mayor Alice Patino said the $1 million check from the state brings the city a step closer to its goal of building a sports complex for local youth.
At a press conference on December 13, Patino talked about the community’s enthusiasm for this project.
“When we have City Council meetings and people are interested in the sports complex, they’re packed. They’re packed out into the hallway,” she said.
The plan is for soccer fields, basketball courts, walking and jogging trails, a playground, and other amenities.
Patino said the project has a price tag of around $15 million and they have now secured more than $10 million.
Assemblymember Gregg Hart and State Senator Monique Limón worked together to get this round of funding through the state budget process.
Limón said the community has, for years, wanted more soccer fields. She said the sports complex is an investment in Santa Maria’s youth and the local economy.
“We want to play here, we want to invest here, we want to bring teams here,” she said.
Limón said the city will continue to look for funding opportunities to make the sports complex a reality.
“There’s still some work to do, however, I think that with this level of investment it allows for certain aspects of the project to begin including the design and planning,” she said.
For future updates keep an eye on the City of Santa Maria website.
