Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Officially Opens Heritage Point Soccer Fields
Friday, December 2nd, 2022
Soccertown USA already had its championships. Now it has its crown jewel. The new Northeast Community Soccer Complex at Heritage Point was officially dedicated on Friday afternoon with a ribbon cutting attended by city leaders. The complex, which features two FIFA-regulation sized soccer fields that can be subdivided into four youth-sized fields, had already been hosting games since mid-September. After Friday's ceremony, the fields went back into use as they hosted a state championship event.
"This is another example that shows we have the finest facilities in Georgia," said Mayor David Pennington in his remarks at the event. "And where we don't, we're going to have them in the next two to three years without a doubt. This facility is amazing, it's three or four years in the making, and it's turned out better than we ever could have expected."
Caption: City leaders and guests cut the ribbon at the Northeast Community Soccer Complex on Friday afternoon
The soccer complex has been on the wish list for the Parks and Recreation Department for years. Despite being home to championship soccer, until recently Whitfield County did not have any FIFA-regulation sized fields. With the recent completion of Dalton Stadium at Heritage Point and the Riverbend Park complex in the county, the Northeast Community Soccer Complex brings the number of FIFA-regulation fields in the community to four.
"Right now the recreation department has so much momentum and this project truly sets us apart from other departments and it’s such a quality park," said Parks and Recreation director Caitlin Sharpe.
"It's hard to believe that on March 3rd we were standing right here on a piece of plywood in a field of dirt and mud [at the groundbreaking ceremony for these fields]," said city administrator Andrew Parker. "Here we are 9 months later with a world class facility."
Parker thanked Goodwyn Mills Cawood for their work designing the facility as well as Northwest Georgia Paving which handled the site work and parking lot paving. He recognized Advanced Sports Group and Shaw Sports Turf for the work on the field. Parker also thanked the Public Works Department for their hard work to deliver the project as well as the staff of the Parks and Recreation Department. He also thanked the voters of Dalton and Whitfield County. The Northeast Community Soccer Complex was a project funded by the 2020 SPLOST. Parker noted that the project was completed approximately a half million dollars under budget, which will allow more funding to be used on other SPLOST projects.
Recreation Commission chair Allison Whittle noted that she served on the committee that recommended projects for inclusion on the SPLOST referendum and she was happy to see the soccer complex come to fruition.
"We took a lot of intentionality and listened to what the departments had to offer and what the community needs are and this is a direct result of that work," she said. "This was definitely a community need and we're so fortunate to have this here."
Below: Mayor David Pennington, Parks and Recreation director Caitlin Sharpe, city administrator Andrew Parker, Public Works director Chad Townsend, and Recreation Commission chair Allison Whittle spoke at Friday afternoon's ribbon cutting ceremony
