It’s been several years in the making, but the Perry soccer complex at Pattee Park is at long last reaching completion.

The project was initially slated to be ready to go in the fall of 2016. However, issues with Spring Lake Construction caused several delays, and ultimately led to the City terminating their agreement with the contractor. After that, local contractor No Lawn Left Behind stepped in to complete the project, and at the most recent Perry City Council meeting, their work was deemed finished. The Council approved the final acceptance and certificate of completion, as well as the release of retainage to the local contractor.

City Administrator Sven Peterson says with everything completed, the final preparations for getting the soccer complex ready for use falls into the capable hands of the parks and recreation department. “It’s really exciting to see that project kind of finally come into our hands, and let us be able to take care of it and make it even better, so we’re really excited. I know the Parks Department have been working out there the last couple of days. And all this rain is sure helping that grass grow, so we’re excited about that as well!”

Peterson says depending on how the summer goes, there could be some light play this fall. He adds, it’s more likely that they’ll put down some additional grass seed and fertilizer this fall, and host the first games by next spring.