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Maior Findings <br /> Based on analysis of athletic facility use, current supply of facilities, athletic association <br /> participation forecasts, local and national facility guidelines and demographic and sports trends, <br /> the following are major findings of the study. <br /> Athletic facilities within the District area are generally adequate to meet existing and <br /> future demand, with the following notable exceptions: <br /> Additional Gym Space is Needed <br /> There is a lack of indoor gym space for youth and adult community use. The demand <br /> for gym space greatly exceeds current supply. School use dominates the existing <br /> school gyms and school demand is increasing as more girls participate in sports and <br /> multi-sport participation increases. Gyms at the two community centers (New <br /> Brighton and Shoreview) are at capacity for pick up games and are not available for <br /> organized youth or adult use. <br /> Demand for gym space will continue to grow, increasing the gap between supply and <br /> demand. The greatest deficiencies occur at the community and youth sports level. <br /> Adequate gym space is not available for organized adult recreation use (primarily <br /> volleyball and basketball leagues) or for youth sports (basketball, volleyball and • <br /> gymnastics, practice and games). Based on a desire to have a minimum of one full size <br /> gym court per 10,000 people there should be at least six additional full-size gym courts <br /> constructed in the study area for community use. These could be built in conjunction <br /> with school facilities, if the gyms are guaranteed to be available for community use <br /> during non-school hours (similar to the City of Shoreview's use of one of the Turtle <br /> Lake School gyms). <br /> A Sport Tournament Facility is Needed <br /> There is no facility capable of hosting sports tournaments (primarily soccer, softball, <br /> baseball). Tournaments play an important part in our sports culture and require a <br /> number of fields at one location. Currently, no park in the study area has more than <br /> three fields. A minimum five fields is needed for a local tournament and it is desirable <br /> to have eight to twelve fields for regional , state and national tournaments. Tournament <br /> or"Sports Complex" parks need a minimum of 40 acres of and it is desirable to have <br /> 60 - 80 acres. The only opportunities to acquire and build a facility of that size are at <br /> the Twin City Arsenal site in Arden Hills and the University of Minnesota property in <br /> Shoreview. Plans for a major recreation facility (perhaps incorporating the community <br /> gyms) should be made for one or both of these locations. <br /> 16 <br />