Coralville Youth Sports Park gets $1.8M upgrade

CORALVILLE — Coralville Youth Sports Park is set to get a $1.8 million upgrade that would add two baseball/softball fields that could be used as soon as fall 2026.

The project at the park, 2480 Dempster Dr., will add a 375-foot-long diamond, with the option for 70-, 80- and 90-foot base paths, and a smaller 250-foot diamond with base path options of 50, 60 and 70 feet. Both fully fenced-in diamonds will include a dugout, a batting cage/pitching warmup area and bleachers. Grass parking areas and a player drop-off area will be added.

The city hopes to award a contract for the work by late April and finish construction by the end of the fall. The grass would then require three seasons before it’s ready for limited use in fall 2026.

Demand for field rentals on the rise

Coralville Recreation Superintendent Amy Erickson said that 83 teams last year requested field space, and that number is expected to rise this year.

Erickson added that the park hosted 23 weekend and four Friday tournaments last year.

“We continue to see a larger need for both field rentals and tournament requests, and adding on to Youth Sports Park will just continue to serve those needs,” Erickson said at a City Council meeting.

Coralville Youth Sports Park, which opened in 2010, currently has five baseball/softball fields, three full size soccer fields and two Boccie ball courts.

Existing diamond moved to make space

In another parks and recreation project, Coralville is moving toward construction of a new rec center after the City Council adopted a master plan in late 2024, estimated to cost between $50 and $55.4 million.

City staff has said the existing layout in S.T. Morrison Park, 1513 Seventh St., may not have enough space for both its existing baseball field and a new recreation center, and is anticipating the closure of the diamond once construction on the new center begins.

The two new diamonds at the Youth Sports Park will serve as a replacement, should the city move forward with closing the field at S.T. Morrison Park.

The proposed new recreation center, to the east of the existing facility in S.T. Morrison Park, would be 109,700 square feet and include three gymnasiums, an elevated track, a spa and three pools: a competition pool with spectator seating, a leisure pool and a recreation and community lap pool. Community meeting rooms and strength, cardio and fitness rooms also would be available.

A funding source for the project has not been finalized.

The city in February 2024 announced plans to partner with the Iowa City Community School District to create a new rec center and indoor competition pool, to replace the 50-year-old existing facility.

The plan is to have the existing center stay open throughout construction of the new building. It would then be demolished once construction is complete.

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