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FC Dallas East Texas teams able to practice at Lindsey Park

For the first time, FC Dallas East Texas teams are allowed to train at Lindsey Park in Tyler.

TYLER — Lindsey Park is open for practice, and for the first time, FC Dallas East Texas teams are able to use the field.

Describing what it was like before now, Jeremey Bernard with FC Dallas East Texas said his teams played anywhere they could when in Tyler -- schools, privately owned fields and even pastures -- but never Lindsey Park.

Parents were forced to drive all over town to pick their children up for practice.

"It gives us a location in Tyler where all of our kids can practice, and makes it convenience for parents can drop off and pick up," Bernard said.

Back in September, the organization proposed $20,000 to the City of Tyler to lease Lindsey Park yearly. The idea was to help with maintenance fees for the park.

Russ Jackson with the City of Tyler's Park Department said there needed to be a solution.

"We were able to bring everyone to the table, and have a group meetings and have individual discussions," he said. "How can we work this out to make this best for the children?"

One problem was the current status of fields at Lindsey Park.

Jackson said the city did not have a formal procedure of care. He admitted, the fields weren't great, and that's partially because of a lack of plan.

"We needed to have a good maintenance plan. Eliminate the playing time on the field," Jackson said.

Starting this season, the city monitors field hours to make sure both organizations are taking care of the fields.

If a field gets more than 500 hours of usage, Jackson said they'll shut it down for a few weeks to keep it at tip top shape.

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