POST FALLS — Post Falls is going to bat to bring back organized softball.

The city expects to select a design consultant later this year for a 25-acre sports complex site south of Prairie Avenue and west of Charleville Road.

Parks Manager Bryan Myers said the focus of the site will be adult softball with five or six lighted fields.

"There may be some opportunity to kick in a soccer field or two but we won't know that until the design process gets rolling," Myers said.

"I am hopeful we will break ground on the project inside of two or three years. If grant funding isn't secured, we will likely look at what other options we have available, including development of the site in phases."

The established level of service standard adopted by the city's Parks and Recreation Commission lists a need of one adult softball field per 5,000 residents. There are only three adult softball fields — none with lighting — in the city of roughly 35,000.

"This project will be a solid start in addressing this underserved group of residents," Myers said.

The city has been looking to obtain a softball complex since 1997, when it became apparent that privately owned Quad Park would be closing.

"For more than 15 years our citizens have had to travel to neighboring cities to participate in softball leagues," Myers said. "This project would make it possible for softball to once again be a part of the pastimes that occur in Post Falls."

Myers said he remembers playing under the lights at Quad Park.

"There is just something unique about looking up at a white ball against a dark sky," he said. "It would be great to have that back in Post Falls again."

City officials said the city tried to purchase Quad Park twice and it looked at several other parcels, including at the city's land application site on the prairie, before acquiring the site south of Prairie Avenue through a trade with Copper Basin Construction in 2015.

As part of the agreement, Copper Basin constructed the road improvements adjacent to the future sports complex and filled the gravel pit formerly owned by the Post Falls Highway District to accommodate the future development of the complex.

Myers said the city will seek grants.

"Grant funding for the future sportsfield complex will in large part drive the timing of when the community sees this park develop as our department relies heavily on grant funding to make these facilities a reality," Myers said. "Our current impact fees (on new growth) alone cannot develop the facilities our growing community is voicing they want to see as a part of our public infrastructure."