City of Lakeway Mayor Dave DeOme announced May 13 that the Lake Travis Youth Association has a contract pending on a 70 acre parcel located on Bee Creek Road near the Hwy. 71 intersection and next to the planned Lake Travis ISD middle school.

The parcel is located in a portion of land annexed by the Lakeway City Council on April 21, DeOme said. DeOme was introduced by outgoing LTYA President Ken McCannon at the group's annual meeting held at Lake Travis High School.

LTYA is a privately-funded, not-for-profit organization that provides sports opportunities for Lake Travis area youth. The association is currently housed at the Field of Dreams in Bee Cave and accepts players from other communities.

Two residents of Lakeway currently own the tract, roughly 100 acres in size, and will be retaining about 30 acres to develop on their own, DeOme said.

He said the city of Lakeway and the LTYA board of directors agreed that the city would consider a roughly $3.7 million bond issue with voters in the November election. LTYA would operate on and manage the property for a term that has not yet been determined, DeOme said.

Under the plan, LTYA would sell its Bee Cave property and use the funds to improve the new Lakeway field site, he said. However, the plan was not contingent upon LTYA selling the current Bee Cave homesite to finance the Lakeway project, he said.

DeOme said Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty is committed to seeking an additional $3 million to $4 million as part of a bond package in the next election that would go toward building the LTYA infrastructure and improvements on the new Lakeway site.

"[LTYA] will put in $3 [million] to $4 million and we'll have a ball field," LTYA Vice President Glenn Smith said. "With all of the partnerships we have now, we can really do this."

He said LTYA will also start a capital campaign for the new build. LTYA does not have the fields to support the kids involved in the program that experienced a ten percent membership increase in the spring, he said.

Smith said the new space should enable LTYA to double their size long term, allow for 12 ball fields versus the seven the organization currently has and support six soccer fields to the three currently in use, he said. The new build may be similar in scope to the youth fields found in the city of Round Rock, he said.

"With this project, we are trying to address certain recreational needs that the public has expressed to the City Council," DeOme said. "This is our contribution to satisfying the needs of our community, not only today, but also for the future. All the parties are trying to achieve what is best for the kids."

According to their website, LTYA serves over 4,500 youths in nine sports programs and activities annually.