Groundbreaking ceremony held for Eastside Sports Complex

El Paso city officials donned hard hats Monday afternoon and held shovels for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Eastside Sports Complex.

The 80-acre sports complex will be located near the intersection of Montwood Drive and John Hayes Street in far east El Paso.

The construction of the first phase is expected to take a year and will complete 42 acres with seven irrigated competition flat fields and one championship-style field.

There will be a shaded seating area that will accommodate 500 spectators and fencing to control access to the park.

Hike and bike trails will also be added to the landscape of the park.

It’s no secret the city’s eastside continues to grow and City Representative Michiel Noe said the park is long overdue.

“We have those small pocket parks out there, but we don’t have really any large parks,” said Noe.

The building of homes also means the area needs more amenities.

“You need the fire and police stations, which we’re still working on,” Noe said.

Noe and City Manager Tommy Gonzalez hope to bring more tournaments to the east part of town.

“We’re going to have great soccer fields for our youth and I think it’s just one more thing we can add to the quality of life for our city,” Gonzalez said.

Other amenities include restrooms, sidewalks and a parking lot so visitors do not have to park in the residential area.

Picnic tables, benches and food trucks will be allowed to serve spectators during events and tournaments.

To help keep the park in good shape, crews will also build a maintenance facility on-site.

The park was part of the 2012 Quality of Life bond election approved by voters.