Not for sale: Soccer players fight for Erwin Park

 The University withdrew an offer to buy Erwin Field on Oregon Street after local soccer groups and parks advocates opposed the sale earlier this summer.

 Erwin Field is one of the largest pieces of property in the Central Campus area not owned by the University. Administrators said the University will continue to have an interest in the property, but they did not wish to pursue an unpopular sale at this time.

 "In the long run, we're going to be doing a lot of different things with Central Campus. It would make sense from a planning point of view to own [Erwin Field], and I think we will some day," said Jeffrey Potter, director of real estate administration. "But we don't have any specific plans right now, so there was no reason to push for something that people are opposing. When the city said now was not a good time to buy the park, we withdrew."

 University officials said that, since Central Campus development is only in its beginning stages, there is no telling where the property will fit into the master plan.

 In a letter to City Manager Marcia Conner dated July 23, Executive Vice President Tallman Trask wrote that the University did "not want to generate a firestorm over a property which, while of interest, is not likely essential to our development plans." Trask could not be reached for comment.

 The sale of Erwin Field has been a topic of discussion for years. City administrators recommended selling the seven-acre property to Duke for $500,000--a price many who use the field felt was too low to replace one of the few lighted soccer fields in Durham. Currently, the field is used by a number of different soccer clubs and schools for practice or tournament play.

 "The city's view is that they'd like a more modern, newer park, particularly for soccer," Potter said. "Erwin Field was built as a playground and baseball park, so we thought we had a situation where we could buy the park for more than it's worth and the city could build something nicer somewhere else. But it turns out people were fearful they would lose a field altogether."

 George Dubay, a senior chemistry research associate and president of the Durham-Chapel Hill Strikers soccer club, said the sale of Erwin Field would have taken away one of the few resources available to local soccer clubs.

 "The community has very little in terms of parks and there are only two city parks with soccer fields in central Durham," Dubay said. "To sell one would be taking away much of what's available." The University also proposed allowing public recreation to continue for two years after the sale, which would theoretically give the city time to develop a comparable field without disrupting soccer practices. Dubay said, however, there could be anywhere from a six to 10 year delay in replacing Erwin Field.

 "Despite Duke offering a reasonable sum, it's not extraordinary and it would limit access to soccer fields with no replacement in sight," he said. "Right now, Durham needs to expand its resources, not contract [them]."

 Pete Sadin, director of operations for Triangle Fútbol Club, said the soccer club was glad to hear the University dropped its offer to buy Erwin Field, echoing Dubay's sentiments that a two-year extension of public usage would not guarantee that another facility would open in time for uninterrupted play.

 "I personally thought the $500,000 price tag was cheap and that Durham could have sold Erwin Field for more," Sadin said. He added, however, that he understood the University's interest in the field. University involvement aside, the "spirited" opposition to the sale of Erwin Field highlighted a planning problem the city now faces, especially as it continues to grow at a rapid pace, Potter said. "Durham doesn't have a long history of building soccer parks because soccer didn't become particularly popular until recently," Potter explained.

 Dubay, who also serves on the city's Recreation Advisory Committee, said the city may have "languished" in terms of developing facilities in part because many University employees who can use University facilities are also members of the Durham community. "As a result, there is very little for organized team play in Durham, and it is unlikely that adequate resources will be available for the expanding population for an extended period," he said. "It's not Duke's fault, but it impacts the need for these parks."