Sports complex critics still crying foul

 (Salt Lake Tribune) You could say they have the endurance of a soccer player.

Dogging City Hall for months, a passionate clan of conservationists scolded the Salt Lake City Council and Mayor Ralph Becker this week for the imminent release of a voter-approved $15.3 million bond toward a $40 million sports complex planned in a flood zone alongside the Jordan River near Rose Park.

During the final public hearing on the controversial complex, residents argued the public was "misled" on the 2200 North venture since it now costs twice as much for half as many soccer and baseball fields. Neither the language on the 2003 bond, they note, nor Real Salt Lake's $7.5 million letter of credit was site specific. And the complex, they say, will be a "pay to play" tournament destination, not a haven for city youths.

"It just seems that in this administration and mayor's office," resident Amy O'Connor said, "political expediency trumps democracy."

Becker maintains he is honoring the will of the electorate to provide much-needed sports fields on the city's west side. Having inherited the issue from the previous administration, he notes the complex has been scrupulously studied and repeatedly presented to the public for feedback. What's more, the mayor has set aside several million for a river buffer that includes a 23-acre natural area to preserve the riparian habitat and satisfy federal flood-plain rules.

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