Dallas city and school officials last month broke ground on their largest joint construction project, an athletic complex to be shared by the Park and Recreation Department and Woodrow Wilson High School .

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The $1 million facility at Randall Park, on

Glasgow Drive

across the street from Woodrow, will house soccer, baseball and softball fields. The complex will include a plaza area, concession stand, maintenance building and restrooms.

 

Built on city land with school district money, it’s part of a new wave of cooperation for the city of Dallas and the Dallas Independent School District , says Park and Recreation Department assistant director Willis Winters.

 

“It’s becoming common,” he says, “but until two to three years ago, there was very little contact between the city and school district.”

 

Woodrow students will use the fields for soccer, baseball and girls softball. The soccer field will double as a practice field for the school’s football team.

 

During times when the school teams do not use the fields, they will be available on a reservation basis for Park and Recreation Department sports league play, Winters says. To keep the facilities in top condition for the school teams, they will be fenced and not available for pickup play.

 

Construction will be completed in two phases. Workers immediately started grading the soccer field so turf can grow over the summer and be ready when school starts in the fall, Winters says. The softball fields and plaza are also included in Phase 1.

 

In phase two, the existing baseball field will be replaced and buildings will be added. Officials are pursuing grants that could allow them to build the restrooms earlier than Phase 2.

 

“It’s a really good relationship between the city and the school system,” Winters says. “It’s working out really well, and the physical proximity is great for Woodrow.”