Parents and league leaders urge Carteret County to invest in a multi-field sports complex

Several residents and youth-sports leaders used the public-comment period at the Feb. 16 Carteret County Board of Commissioners meeting to press for greater investment in athletic fields and a consolidated sports complex.

Melissa Erkhart, speaking for Boatbanks Football Club and as a parent, said the county currently exports weekend sports tourism and cited regional facilities27 economic impacts as comparables. "A well planned sports complex would help break that cycle," Erkhart said, arguing that a multi-field complex would put "heads in beds and bottoms in booths here at home" during shoulder seasons.

Chuck Linder described capacity and maintenance strains at Swinson Park (where local fundraising has contributed more than $400,000 for renovations) and urged the county to pursue acreage and collaboration with state and federal representatives to site a larger complex. Mike Bollinger and Tiffany Padgett echoed those calls, with Padgett noting Morehead City Little League27s near-30 teams and urging that parks and recreation be treated as an economic-development tool.

Commissioners thanked the speakers, acknowledged the Parks & Recreation Master Plan underway for 2026, and said staff will continue searching for suitable property and coordinate with stakeholders. No formal commitment or appropriation for a complex was made at the meeting; commissioners said the county27s acquisition and development timeline would be phased and aligned with the upcoming budget process.