Litchfield, Park District Explore Partnership to Build New Soccer Fields

Litchfield City Council Meeting | July 16, 2026

Article Summary: Litchfield officials discussed a potential intergovernmental agreement with the Litchfield Park District to develop additional soccer fields near the Community Center, with a contractor’s preliminary ballpark putting dirt work for the largest field around $20,000, plus about $6,000 if drainage tiling is needed.

Soccer Fields Key Points:

• The proposed site sits south of Memorial Pool and east of the park district’s new restrooms and concession stand, behind the Community Center.
• The city would handle dirt work and drainage; the park district would handle seeding, field painting, and goals and nets, per a staff memo.
• Rough terrain and drainage concerns mean the city cannot do the work in-house; a contractor’s preliminary estimate for the largest field was about $20,000, plus roughly $6,000 for tiling if required.
• The item was discussion only; a formal agreement and bidding would come later.

LITCHFIELD — The Litchfield City Council on Thursday, July 16, 2026, discussed partnering with the Litchfield Park District on new soccer fields, reviving a community demand that has persisted since a previously planned soccer park on Corvette Drive did not materialize.

Mayor Jacob Fleming said citizens have been adamant about additional sports facilities, and that about a month ago he approached the park district’s director about open ground south of Memorial Pool and east of the district’s newly built restrooms and concession stand, behind the Community Center. The park district is “very open” to a collaboration, he said, in which the city would contribute funds or work under an intergovernmental agreement.

The city administrator said the city’s street superintendent met a park district board member at the site and determined the work cannot be done in-house: the terrain is rough, there are several drainage concerns, and city equipment cannot handle what is needed. Bill, the city’s public works coordinator, met a third-party contractor at the site this week for a rough ballpark. The park district is discussing three fields, she said, and the contractor priced only the largest for now — about $20,000 for the contractor’s work with up to a foot of fill (one to two feet may ultimately be needed), with the city providing the dirt. Tiling, if required, would run about $6,000 for the larger field, though the contractor believed sloping the field with a crown might avoid it. A drainage plan and further exploration would be needed. (The transcript’s rendering of the field dimensions and total field count is garbled — see Editorial Flags.)

Under the division of labor described in a staff memo and confirmed at the meeting, the city would perform the dirt work and regrading, and the park district would complete the seeding, field painting, and installation of goals and nets.

A council member asked whether teams pay to use park district fields, recalling paying $350 per team decades ago. Fleming said he was not certain of the current fee structure, noting the local youth soccer organization has an agreement with the park district, and suggested a park board member brief the council on field-use agreements. He reminded the public that the city and park district are separate government entities; the park board meets the first Wednesday of each month, and he plans to attend the next meeting. If both bodies want to proceed, the administrator said, the city would pursue an intergovernmental agreement and go out for bids on its portion of the work. No action was taken.