The long-awaited synthetic turf field at Acreage Community Park South is ready for play, members of the Indian Trail Board Improvement District Board of Supervisors were told at their Wednesday, March 25 meeting.
However, the question that hangs over the $1.8 million football/soccer field is: Who will be allowed to use it?
The money for the field is part of $3 million parceled out to ITID from Palm Beach County’s 2016’s one-percent infrastructure sales surtax.
County officials “are insisting the field be set aside for open play,” ITID President Elizabeth Accomando said this week. “It appears we are obligated to maintain the field but have no control over it. The county is setting the rules.”
“Open play” would mean unrestricted use by teams and individuals on a first-come, first-served basis whether residents of the district or not.
“I’m worried about groups from outside the district trying to take it over,” Supervisor Richard Vassalotti said.
Supervisor Betty Argue said the “open play” rule would defeat the purpose of constructing the field.
It was intended, she said, for use by Acreage Athletic League teams and others that normally play at Acreage Community Park North. The switch would allow that grass field to rest after periods of intense use. “Now the county is dictating how it’s to be used,” Argue said. “The whole point was to address the lack of field space.”
The $3 million was originally earmarked for a community center at the park but was reallocated when that project became too expensive due to pandemic delays and construction cost increases. Ground was broken on the turf field Dec. 5, 2025, after a year in permitting.
The issue is further complicated by the fact that the county owns the land upon which Acreage Community Park South sits. ITID operates and maintains the park under a long-term lease.
ITID Executive Director Burgess Hanson said he’ll ask the district’s legal team to look into the lease to determine whether it gives the county this type of authority.
“I don’t think this has to be a hostile discussion,” he said. “We just need to make this more compatible for ITID residents who are, after all, county residents.”
For now, however, Hanson said the field will be for “general play” while being closely monitored by parks and recreation staff.
“The big thing for us now is being able to properly manage the field without it being abused,” he said. “We don’t want leagues taking it over before we can get a better handle on this.”
Parks & Recreation Director Kenny Lawrence said the $1.2 million remainder of the funds will be used for construction of an open-play grass field at the park, plus related infrastructure, such as lighting and additional parking. Also, some invasive trees will be removed from the area.
In February, supervisors voted to amend the scope of the Acreage Community Park South expansion by removing a $346,000 restroom and an $80,000 scoreboard.
An event is planned for some time over the next few weeks to celebrate the opening of the field and the re-opening of the pier at Coconut Park, Lawrence said.
An EF-3 tornado severely damaged the park in October 2024, shredding trees and infrastructure and ripping the recently renovated pier out of the lake. In February, the district approved a $246,000 contract to rebuild the pier. The Federal Emergency Management Agency provided $105,000 for the project, with ITID covering the rest.
In other business, the supervisors reviewed a proposed new district logo developed by recently hired Public Information Officer Rebecca Stewart.
Supervisors suggested refinements but unanimously approved the concept. It emphasizes the equestrian and semi-rural nature of the district.
Members of the audience were split on the design during public comment.
“Why do things we don’t have to do? We’re not an album cover; we’re a drainage district,” one said.
Another said, “One of the reasons I moved out here was for the equestrian [focus]. All the awareness we can give to the equestrian world and the agricultural world — I like it.”
Supervisor Patricia Farrell supported the change.
“Sometimes, if things stay the same for too long, we don’t really look at them anymore. When we change a logo, it draws new attention,” she said.
The new logo will be phased in on district uniforms and equipment as they are replaced due to normal wear, Accomando said, emphasizing that the change will have no financial impact.
