Salado Youth Association Timeline:
Original purpose of SYA: To raise funds for the purchase of land and to provide sports facilities for Salado youth.
1985: C.B. and Mary Hodge donated the original 15 acres of land.
April 14, 1993: SYA was originally founded as a nonprofit corporation, adopted 25 page “By Laws of Salado Youth
Association, Inc.”, corporate seal was presented & accepted.
Eleven initial Board of Directors: Thomas Berrier – President, Larry McGregor – Vice President, Steve Ervin – Treasure, Darlene Kirk – Secretary, Ed Buchanan, Glenn Hodges, Ricky Preston, Floyd Lee, Billy Pipes, Stewart Smith, Mike Tubbs and Randall Blodgett.
SYA Annual memberships: Platinum – over $100, Gold - $100, Silver - $50, Bronze - $25.
July 1993: First Auction, Raffle, Fajita buffet fundraiser held at Bell County Expo. Grand prizes: 1st = $8,500 house lot, 2nd = $5,000 house lot.
September 1993: OL Petty – named as an honorary member of SYA.
October 1994: purchased additional 20 acres (Today this includes soccer fields, two southern baseball fields and football fields).
July 1994: First Auction, Raffle, Fajita buffet fundraiser. Richard Barbour was presented a plaque of appreciation for “Sports Person of the Year”. First place raffle = $5,000.
February 1995: SYA funded $12,000 towards lighting on new baseball field.
September 1995: Bids for original water well were taken from Alpine, Ramm and Lovelace (Alpine was awarded the job).
November 1995: Purchased sprinkler parts to irrigate 3 soccer fields.
1995/1996: Lone Star Grading and Materials donated $32,155 for “Ball Field Parking Lot” (137 loads gravel, 156 grader hours, etc.).
January 1996: Billy Pipes – SYA president.
April 1996: SYA pump/well house was built (Alpine water well service drilled and cased well #1 (10 gpm, 140 ft deep) and well #2 (20 gpm, 140 ft deep)).
July 1996: Moved 25,000 gallon water storage tank from Coufal to SYA fields.
November 1996: Purchased SYA lawnmower, Lovelace Water Well Service hooked up water storage tank and installed pressure tanks and pumps for water supply, purchased Kubota tractor from Taylor Equipment ($5,570).
1997: Irrigated, Hydro mulched and built soccer fields, purchased water tank and sprinkler systems, purchased new baseball scoreboard.
April 1997: Hydro mulch and fence expenses for new baseball field.
May 1998: (Billy Pipes – SYA President) SYA purchased 3 acres of land with 15 gpm well at western end of property.
1998: Built soccer goals, bought field striper, flags and nets for soccer fields.
May 1999 – 2000: Timothy Hazzard – SYA President.
June 1999: Irrigated additional soccer fields.
Below is one of the preliminary projection maps of the SYA facility.
