Irvine : Council to Vote on Use of College Soccer Fields

The City Council tonight will vote on ratification of an agreement between Irvine and the Saddleback Community College District for joint city and college use of soccer fields on the Irvine Valley College campus.

Under terms of the agreement, drawn up at the council’s direction last May, the city will spend about $125,000 to install lighting and portable bleachers on the college fields. In exchange, the city and city-sponsored soccer teams will have use of the fields four nights a week and on weekends from mid-August through April.

Deanna Manning, Irvine’s director of community services, said the city can negotiate with Irvine Valley College to extend the times that the fields would be available for nonschool uses, but that the basic agreement provides a guarantee that Irvine’s more than 2,700 soccer players on 184 teams will have a place to play night games.

The plan was approved by the Saddleback College District Board of Trustees last May and, if ratified by the council tonight, will become effective immediately. Manning said the city would solicit bids for the lights and bleachers and construction could begin within a month.