A week after Columbus City Council approved an agreement that clears the way for a National Women's Soccer League team to build a training facility at McCoy Park on the southwest side, a resident came to council with concerns about access to another park on the opposite side of the city.
Kilbourne Run Sports Park on the city's northeast side was born from a 2018 effort to keep the Crew in Columbus. Negotiations included a promise to build sports fields at the Ohio State Fairgrounds. The state didn't want to provide a lease for the fairgrounds, so the project moved to Kilbourne Run Park.
Now, park facilities are nearly complete. City, Recreation and Parks reports that as of this month, about $34.4 million of work has been done at the park, which is about 97% of the project's budget.
The park has a play area and green space, but its main feature is turf sports fields, but they aren't open yet to the public.
A resident of the neighborhood spoke to city council members about the problem during public comment at an April 27 meeting. Councilwoman Melissa Green sympathized with him.
"There had been some situations where the fields weren't in use and, you know, a neighborhood kid was out there trying to practice soccer and was removed by Rec and Park's employees out of concerns for making sure that the AstroTurf is preserved," Green said, recounting the resident's complaint.
The fields rent at a rate of $125 an hour, with a required minimum rental of two hours — a price out of reach for many low-income families.
Groups including Club Ohio Soccer, Columbus High School Alumni, D1 Nation Sports and Resolute Lacrosse rent the fields, according to Columbus Recreation and Parks.
"So, yeah, I think I generally was very concerned with wanting to make sure that, you know, the communities where we have these facilities placed are also able to access them," Green said.
She said the issue at Kilbourne Run is part of a broader conversation that city leaders have been having with the community about the use of city parks, as highlighted by the fierce debate over the future of McCoy Park.
Green was one of three city council members who voted against the agreement that laid the groundwork to turn part of that park over to a professional women's soccer team.
Meanwhile, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther's Chief of Staff, Elon Simms, said there's an "ongoing discussion" about access at Kilbourne Run Sports Park.
Simms said the turf fields are meant to bring events like soccer tournaments to the city, but they are also supposed to benefit the community.
"Those turf fields are, you know, need to be operated at a particular level to ensure their long-term viability to be used, but the bigger point here for us is that access matters," Simms said. "No child or resident in Columbus should feel like something that's built in their neighborhood isn't for them."
Simms did not say whether the city plans to open up the turf fields, even for restricted time periods, in the future. He pointed out that because the park is just opening, the city still had to "work through some of the kinks and try to ensure that we're creating access for all."
A grass field near the maintenance shop will be open for walk-up play starting in 2027.
