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Special City Council Meeting February 19, 2001 Page 5 a sports complex. Mr. Stephens said he has a dirt company and has worked on several complexes and discussed the types of soil that was needed for the facility and the process of building a complex. Maria Pope, Route 1, Box 118, appeared before the City Council in support of the sports complex. Ms. Pope expressed the need for adult soccer fields. Wade Blake, 403 Navajo Trail, came before the City Council stating that his interest was in adult softball. Mr. Blake discussed the conflict of only having two fields to play on. There is a conflict with having to play on Wednesday night, which is a church night, along with trying to schedule times that they can play. Mr. Blake stressed the need for this to be a family night out, and said it was something that a family can do together. Mr. Blake said a great many people in Paris would appreciated a sports complex. Ben Menchaca, 712 Pine Valley Drive and Joe Farmer, 3425 Pine Bluff, both appeared before the City Council voicing their support of a sports complex. They told the Council that their daughters play softball and they have to travel to other cities in order to play because there are no facilities available in Paris. Curtis Blake, 524 10t" S. E., was present telling the City Council that he was interested in both men's and adult sports and that he and his wife both play and they have to go out of town to play. Mr. Blake said it would be great to have one place they could go and take their family and feel safe. Rick Hodges, Jr., Route 1, Paris, Texas, appeared before the City Council advising that he plays church and industrial softball, and said his daughters want to play softball. Mr. Hodges said the sports complex would be great. Mr. Hodges advised that there is plenty of open land around Paris on which to build a complex. Jimmy Fendley, Route 1, Sumner, Texas, came forward telling the City Council that he was the Chairman of the YWCA and he has coached girls 12 and under in softball. Mr. Fendley said the issues that he was concerned with are parking space and the safety of our children, lack of field space and programming playing time, and he had heard this from several organizations in Paris. He said he supported the sports complex one hundred percent. Tommy Duncan came forward again stating that he was also speaking for the Noon Optimist Club. Mr. Duncan said there is a great need for practice fields for youth football, and would like to include youth football for the sports complex. He told the City Council that the Noon Optimist Club was in favor of the complex.