The Iowa City school district is collaborating with the City of Iowa City on a proposed plan to renovate the athletic fields at Mercer Park.
Located at 1317 Dover St., the park has been home to the Iowa City High School baseball team for many years. After the renovations, the high school softball team will join baseball at the athletic complex.
President of the Iowa City Community School District Board of Directors Ruthina Malone said she is looking forward to the outcome of the project.
“I think it will be great for our students, and the board of directors are excited to see this all unfold,” she said.
Juli Seydell Johnson, director of the Iowa City Parks and Recreation department, conveyed the same feelings.
“It is just a win-win for everyone,” she said.
The agreement between the City of Iowa City and the Iowa City school district is an expansion on a pre-existing partnership, which came about after the district decided they wanted to continue using the park as the baseball team’s home turf.
“We approached the city about how we could possibly expand the partnership, really turn it into something long-term, and give quite honestly a facelift to that area and the ballpark down there for the benefits of our students and our families,” Deputy Superintendent Chace Ramey said at the Iowa City Community School District Board meeting on Feb. 24.
Johnson also said the approximately 30-year partnership made sense to continue.
“The park has served the east side of Iowa City, where City High is, since its inception,” she said. “It just seemed to make sense to continue that partnership.”
The additions and upgrades are expected to cost approximately two million dollars in total.
The City of Iowa City is contributing $711,000 to the renovations, which will be used for the areas of the park that are to remain owned by the city. This includes public walkways and a central concession stand building with restrooms. ADA improvements for additional accessibility around the park are also a priority for the project.
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The exact cost contributed by the school district for renovations is not yet determined, but the district did agree to pay an additional $5,000 yearly to the City of Iowa City for the exclusive use of the renovated fields, funds of which are intended to be used by the city for future capital investments within the park.
Field 1 and Field 4 are being renovated with new bleachers, dugouts, and press boxes.
Malone emphasized the importance of the fields due to the lack of satisfactory land or resources available on City High’s campus for baseball and softball.
“We recognize that this is something that’s needed in order to ensure that our athletes have safe and adequate athletic fields to perform on,” Malone said.
Ramey adding the district is proud of its partnership with the city.
“Our baseball complexes end up being some of these partnerships with our local municipalities, and we’re proud of it,” he said. “We’re excited about this project.”
The agreement is set to expire in 2049 with the option for the Iowa City Community School District to terminate before that date.
The hope is for the softball team to be able to play at the renovated fields for the 2026 season.
Contractor bids are set to open on March 11. From there, the project will be reviewed by the Iowa City school district administrative team before being submitted for approval at a board meeting.