“Wait, is that really happening? Are they really building the Field of Dreams? I’ve been hearing about that since I was a child growing up in Bonner County!” These statements are often heard by Ponderay staff and elected officials regarding the regional sports and recreation facility that has been a community vision, 30 years in the making and they are proud to answer, YES!

Join Ponderay City Officials and staff on Thursday, August 29, 2024, as they celebrate the official grand opening of the Field of Dreams Recreation Complex (Phase 1) with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

The grand opening event, scheduled to begin at 6pm, will be held at the Field of Dreams facility, located at 100 Oneida Drive, under the cover of the newly completed concessions facility located central to the fully lit field complex. Appetizers and beverages will be provided by Sweet Lou’s Restaurant and Bar. Following the ribbon cutting, local youth sports teams will kick off on all four artificial turf athletic fields including Sandpoint Cutthroat Lacrosse, Sandpoint Strikers, Albion SC and Sandpoint High School Girls Varsity Soccer vs local coaches, so bring your chairs and cheer them on!!

“This regional facility is truly an amazing asset, and we are so proud to present it to the community, said Ponderay Mayor, Steve Geiger. “Construction of the facility would not have been possible without the tremendous support of our local businesses, voters and the passage of the 1% local option tax, which provided the funding for this project.”

HISTORY: The Field of Dreams vision began in 1993 when Floyd McGhee and Mike Read, on behalf of the Sandpoint Soccer Association dreamed of the “McGhee Sports Complex” which would provide a regional sport facility in Bonner County. They were joined in 1994 by other members of the sports community and created the North Idaho/Ponderay Youth Sports (NIPYSA) Association which was established as a 501c3 non-profit organization with the goal of raising funding to bring their vision to reality. By 1995, NIPYSA had worked with the local farming community, businesses and Jacklin Seed and had prepared the land for play. In June of 1995, the complex hosted the “Soccer Bowl” tournament on the site which included approximately 236 teams and nearly 1000 youth athletes. These fields operated for some time in the late nineties but lacked irrigation and making it difficult to retain grass on the fields, causing locals to lovingly refer to it as the “Dust Bowl”. The City of Ponderay under Mayor Kunzeman’s leadership purchased the property in 2011 with the assistance of the Panhandle Area Council.  In 2018, Ponderay received $500,000 in grant funds from the LOR Foundation for design and development of the Field of Dreams. That funding combined with the 2019 passage of the 1% local option tax allowed the city to develop a concept plan for the full 50-acres and complete engineering, design, and construction of the facility between 2020 and today.

“This project truly began with the vision and determination of those that came before us. I am honored to help bring phase 1 to reality for our community and cannot wait to kick off phase 2. It has been amazing to see the excitement as families enter the complex for the first time and the athletes take the field” said KayLeigh Miller, Planning Director and Project Manager for the City of Ponderay.

For more information, visit the city’s website at https://cityofponderay.org/field-of-dreams-recreation-complex/ or call Ponderay City Hall at (208) 265-5468.

Excitement was in the air as the City of Ponderay held a ground breaking ceremony on Friday, August 4th to mark the official start of construction of the Field of Dreams Recreation Complex, Phase 1. The Mayor was joined by members of the Ponderay City Council, Ponderay Planning Commission and Staff, HMH Engineering and Bernardo Wills Architecture. Additionally, former Mayor Carol Kunzeman, who was in office when the City Purchased the Field of Dreams and many community members and Athletic Groups. However, none were more excited than the youth soccer players who broke from the crowd accompanied by Ponderay Police Officer Simeral and started an impromptu soccer game in the location of the future fields.

Thank you to all who join us for this amazing moment in Ponderay’s History as 30-years worth of dreams and vision for the future came together to become a reality for the community!

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Thanks to dedicated volunteers and donations from community businesses, Ponderay’s historic school house, located in the Ponderay village, received some much needed TLC during this years community clean-up event. What a difference it made!  Efforts are still underway, so check back for updates!

A huge thanks to Sandpoint Church of Nazareen, community volunteers, Sherwin-Williams Paint, In and Out Painting, Waste Management, Bonner County Solid Waste, Pacific Steel and Recycling,  staff and the Ponderay City Council, for your donations and efforts on this project!