A handful of lacrosse and soccer supporters showed up at the council meeting to hear the news they’d been waiting for — Issaquah is getting an artificial turf field.

Many sports teams have stated that the turf field is badly needed in the region’s rainy climate to allow for sports during the fall, winter and into spring months when grass fields can become unplayable due to mud.

“With grass fields,” Jordan Greenhall said. “It rains and it gets muddy and you get messy. On turf fields if you fall you don’t get messy.”

The measure, which the council approved unanimously, would provide funding for phase one of the project, and authorizes $1.6 million of design and development of one multipurpose artificial turf field with sports lighting at Central Park Pad 3 in the Issaquah Highlands. This first phase would provide for the turf and lighting on one field, as well as the wiring for lighting of a second field.

The plan does not include any additional parking or restrooms. The field would be installed in the summer of 2009.

An additional planned phase, phase two, does not have funding yet, but plans for the additional turf field and lighting are expected to cost an additional $950,000.

The city does have two grant requests pending, one for $500,000 from Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office, and one from the King County Youth Sports Facility Program for $75,000. The city will receive notification for the state grant in June 2009 and for the county grant by the end of January 2009.

Local sports groups have contributed an additional $100,000 in donations of cash or materials.

Items such as restrooms, parking expansions and parking lot lighting, landscaping, park gate and other improvements would cost from $120,000-400,000 and up.

Another source of funding the improvements though may be in the Park Pointe Transfer Development proposal the city is currently working on with Port Blakely Communities.

In the proposed agreement, Port Blakely would put $5 million into park improvements in the Highlands.

This agreement is still being studied by the City Council’s Major Development Committee.

“There is no doubt there is a need,” Councilman Fred Butler said. “At least we are moving in the right direction. Let’s get the ball rolling.”