The Thurston County / City of Lacey Regional Athletic Center (RAC) is not just a sports complex. Already regarded as one of the finest outdoor sporting venues in Washington State, the 100-acre complex features six regulation soccer fields, including one with all-weather turf and lighting; four regulation softball fields with synthetic turf infields and lighting; one minor-league-rated baseball field with synthetic turf infield and lighting; electronic score boards; two concession buildings; five large group picnic shelters; spectator seating; three playgrounds; two miles of walking and jogging paths; a kite-flying hill; three basketball half-courts; and a six-acre outdoor event and festival area.
Parking is accommodated with 500 paved spots and unpaved overflow for 500 vehicles. Nearly 20 acres of the site have been preserved to protect native oak savannahs.
The project was developed jointly by the City of Lacey and Thurston County. It was designed by the Tacoma landscape architecture firm Bruce Dees & Associates and constructed by Ceccanti, Inc. With its second phase reaching completion just last year, the award winning complex fills a major void in the recreational needs of the community. A central element in the design of the RAC was a focus on maintenance. This was accomplished through the involvement of maintenance personnel with the design.
The intent to “Waste Nothing” is the spirit of the RAC project. Strippings from all graded areas were screened and recycled for topsoil. The tailings were then used to shape “Kite Hill”, a natural feature of the site. To accommodate the massive earthwork, two of the six fields that lay on a naturally raised elevation were used as a dynamic soil reservoir for balancing cut and fill operations. As excavation revealed buried deposits of unsuitable soil, the material was removed and used as non-structural fill to enhance the shape of “Kite Hill” while the two fields provided structural replacement fill.
By recycling material on site, economic and ecologic savings were realized through eliminating the need for exporting or importing soil, thus reducing fossil fuel consumption. Matt Johns, the RAC Park Maintenance Manager, conducted a testing regime that gathered soil samples throughout the screened topsoil areas of the site.
Johns coordinated the results with the design of a fertilizing program to sustain a thriving grass lawn area. Today, the thirteen acres of recycled soil lawn are lush and green. Pre-design geotechnical studies were used to influence layout of activities and support facilities. Areas with high infiltration rates became locations for the athletic fields while less intensive uses were placed on areas of lower permeability. The majority of the two miles of trails are pervious asphalt and the pervious concrete ball field complex plaza allows infiltration directly under it. As a result, the complex plaza was constructed flat and the cost of expensive storm water facilities for collection and conveyance was avoided. With direct infiltration of the fields and pervious paving, storm water infiltration pond size was minimized while active recreation space was maximized. The maintenance staff has been diligent about keeping the voids in the pervious concrete free of debris.
Park visitors admire the unique texture, which provides a visible example of Lacey’s commitment to sustainable design and low impact development.
Maintenance is supported by a 2,100 SF maintenance building with shop, storage, office, restroom, and lunch room for staff. Equipment wash-down and material storage are contained within the 20,000 SF fenced yard. The park manager and support staff are adjacent in the 1,630 SF events building, which includes a reception area, staff offices, and meeting rooms.
All infields and one of the soccer fields were constructed with synthetic turf to extend use throughout the year, virtually eliminating rainouts and maximizing field rental revenue. Since no watering or mowing is required and no infield prep necessary before each ball game, daily operational costs are kept to a minimum. Ease of maintenance of the natural grass areas was considered as well. For grass fields and passive-use locations, the majority are accessible by gang mowers with mow strips provided adjacent to fences and structures. Furthermore, preserving the native white oak savannahs and their under story was a key design precept and avoided needless development and maintenance.
Irrigation lines were installed the requisite purple pipe to allow the use of reclaimed water from a planned sewage treatment plant north of the park. Floodlighting of all the ball fields is state-of-the-art 1,500 watt shielded metal Halide luminaries with reduced reflecting surfaces to reduce off-site light spill.
All these cost saving features enhance the overall experience to be had at the RAC and the center is recognized as one of the finest athletic complexes in Washington. The RAC received the 2009 Washington Recreation & Park Association’s Best Sports Complex
Award, the 2010 International Northwest Park and Recreation Association Design of the Year, and the Washington Concrete & Aggregates 2010 Pervious Concrete Design Award.
A tremendous demand for soccer, lacrosse, and rugby, on the soccer fields to the east recently revealed the need for a second synthetic turf soccer field. Anticipating that potential in the design phase, fields were set parallel in the understanding that high activity fields be centralized for events such as tournaments. This planning also allowed for shared use of floodlight poles, shared seating/viewing areas, and close proximity for synthetic turf maintenance.
Routing of the irrigation main is such that construction of the new synthetic field can occur without revisions to the existing irrigation system, other than eliminating irrigation on the field itself. The synthetic field is now the home field for Saint Martins College Soccer.
In addition to the popularity, high use, and excellent appearance of the facility, success can also be measured by the revenue generation which has doubled that forecasted for the project. Current revenue generation is approximately $300,000 annually and growing. The increased demand and anticipated incorporation of an event called “Rampage at the RAC”, a 5k run with obstacles and other events, is anticipated to generate enough revenue to offset maintenance costs, reaching financial self sufficiency.
