Old landfill becomes recreational complex

Grading donations saved the town the cost of purchasing soil and paying to have it graded, and kept the fill material out of the active local landfill.

Southern Pines, N.C., had an active youth sports community, but it lacked a centralized facility that could host games and tournaments. The town did, however, have an old landfill that had not been used for 30 years. So, town officials put two and two together and came up with the Morgantown Road Sports Complex, a 16-acre sports complex that sits on top of the old landfill.

What was once refuse is now recreation. The complex, the first of its kind in Moore County, includes three full-size soccer fields and one combination soccer/softball field, a handicapped accessible playground, a concession/restroom/storage facility, 196 parking spaces, an irrigation system, water fountains and spectator seating areas. David White, recreation director for the town, says he expects the complex to be a popular site for tournaments once the grass on the fields is established.

The town council appropriated $631,265 for the project, $100,000 of that to be raised by the local youth soccer association, which sold naming rights to the athletic fields, parking lots and concession stands. The North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund provided a grant of $63,919. Two local developers – Pinehurst National Development Corp., which was building a Lowe’s Hardware store and First Health of the Carolinas, which was building an addition to its Pinehurst medical facility – provided free fill and grading services. Their donation, along with grading service donations from several smaller local construction companies, not only saved Southern Pines the cost of purchasing soil for the complex and paying to have it graded; it also kept the fill material out of the active local landfill. The town estimated that fill and grading donations were worth about $600,000.