Braden River Soccer Club plans building expansion

LAKEWOOD RANCH —  In just a few weeks, the Braden River Soccer Club will break ground on 600-square-foot addition to its concession stand, which it hopes will provide much-needed educational and work space.

The Manatee County Board of County Commissioners approved Feb. 7 the single-story extension to the club’s combination storage, concessions and public restroom building at Lakewood Ranch Park. The extension will be used as a meeting and educational room, while the existing space will be converted into designated office spaces for the club’s director of coaching, registrar and administrative assistant.

In addition to a meeting room, the expansion also will eventually serve as a place where coaches will be able to review video footage with the players and staff. Once the planned technology is in place, coaches and staff will be able to tape games and practices, edit the tapes and then review with them with the players.

“We are very excited and happy that we have the commission’s blessing to move forward with the project,” Braden River Soccer Club President Brenden Moriarty said. “We have outgrown our current space, and we feel that adding this component for the kids will really enhance their understanding of what their respective coaches are looking for from them on the field.”

Moriarty sent a letter to Manatee County Parks and Recreation Director Cindy Turner last May, expressing the club’s desire to build a new addition to its multi-purpose concession building without any assistance from the county.

Once the Southwest Florida Water Management District notified the Parks and Recreation Department no official permit would be needed for the project, the department began working with the club and the County Attorney’s Office to draft a new Concessions Building License Agreement.

As per the agreement, the club will be required to pay a $10 per year rental payment for 10 years. Additionally, improvements must be built in accordance with the agreement and the department’s director must approve any changes. Finally, the club will be solely responsible for all repairs and maintenance to the facility.

Moriarty said the club expects the project to cost between $50,000 and $100,000. In addition to the money it has put aside, the club also is hoping the community will assist with the costs of the project through donations.

“As a not-for-profit youth organization, money is always an issue,” Moriarty said. “If we are successful with getting folks to help out, we should be able to come in at the lower end of our estimates.”

The club plans to break ground on its expansion as soon as the remainder of the administrative work is finalized, which Moriarty said he hopes will be by March 1. A timetable for the project hasn’t been finalized, but Moriarty expects construction to move relatively quickly one under way.

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].