By Lori EhdeSoccer players in the youngest age brackets in Luverne will likely play in a new location after the fall season.Rock County is planning to build a 92,000 to 95,000-square-foot building between the Human Services and Highway Department properties along North Blue Mound AvenueThe building, which will house a law enforcement center, dispatch services and community corrections, will be located precisely where the Optimist Club maintains soccer fields for preschool through second grade.County Administrator Kyle Oldre and Optimist Club President Mike Winkels approached Luverne School Board members about locating the soccer fields on school property."There simply won’t be any space for soccer fields," Oldre said at the Thursday, July 18, school board meeting.He and Winkels asked the board to consider letting the Optimist Club develop soccer fields on land to the west of the elementary school.They said they’ve measured ground on the north side of Dodge Street along the driveway to the ball diamonds. That area might be suitable for two soccer fields or another spot might be between the softball diamonds and Darold Laabs’ home on the north.Oldre told the board that in the years the Optimists have run the soccer program at the Blue Mound Avenue location, the public hasn’t incurred costs for having it on county property.Grades 5, 6 and 7 already play Optimist soccer on the school grounds, so having two more fields there might make it easier for parents to attend more games if they have more than one child participating.Winkels, who is also the county sheriff, said 350 players currently participate in the Optimist Club soccer program."Soccer is probably the No. 1 fastest growing sport in the nation, so this isn’t something we’re going to just kick aside," he said."We have to find some place to keep these kids playing soccer."If the fields are located on school property, it won’t affect the ball diamonds.Oldre said the new county building won’t affect Joe Roberts Field, the little league diamonds east of the Highway Department building.Groundbreaking will be next spring, so soccer this fall won’t be affected.
