A nonprofit has applied for a conditional-use permit to expand the soccer complex at the north end of the Baker Sports Complex, including constructing a nearly 6,000-square-foot building with public restrooms, showers, team meeting rooms and an announcer’s booth.

The proposal also calls for a paved parking area with 157 spaces.

Baker Soccer United is the applicant.

The Baker School District owns the property, which is part of a 12-acre parcel the district bought several years ago.

It would have been the site of a new elementary school the district planned to build, but that project was canceled when voters rejected a $48 million bond measure in 2018.

The Baker City Planning Commission will consider the conditional-use permit application from Baker Soccer United on May 17 at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 1655 First St.

Debbie Poe, secretary for Baker Soccer United, said the organization has received grants from the Buerkel-Zollner Foundation, Leo Adler Foundation, Ag West Farm Credit, the Sunderland Foundation (Ash Grove Cement) and Marvin Wood Products, totaling about $147,000, for preparatory work such as installing utilities and obtaining permits.

Andrew Bryan and Chris Hawkins, both members of the Baker School Board, said on Friday, April 28 that the school district supports the project but will not contribute any money toward it.

Fundraising, including for construction, is the responsibility of Baker Soccer United, the board members said.

Baker Soccer United was incorporated in 2020.

Bryan said the group has discussed its plans with school district officials during multiple meetings over the past few years.

Poe said the project was put on hold during the pandemic and when the school district transitioned to a new superintendent, Erin Lair, who started work July 1, 2022.

The soccer fields, which are north of the baseball and softball fields at the Sports Complex, are used by Baker High School teams in the fall, as well as YMCA teams.

Once Baker Soccer United has a conditional-use permit, Poe said the group will begin fundraising, including locally, to pay for the building that will be the centerpiece of the expanded complex.

She said the ultimate goal is to have a facility that can be used not only by BHS and YMCA teams, but also for tournaments, including soccer and potentially lacrosse.

Baker Soccer United plans to donate the facility to the school district eventually, Poe said.

The application for the conditional-use permit states that “these fields have been used increasingly over the years as soccer popularity and programs have blossomed. With the increase in sports participation, it has became evident that the on-site services for soccer programs at the Baker Sports Complex are inadequate for local participants and traveling visitors. The purpose of this project is to better support existing soccer program use and to provide a sense of place at the north end of the Baker Sports Complex.”