SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – The City of Santa Fe has some big plans when it comes to improving parks around town. On Saturday, they unveiled their newest renovation to a local park; however, a large-scale project worth millions of dollars has parts of the community asking questions. "I can't wait to play on the turf," said Tre, a football player who attended the unveiling of a brand-new resurfacing of the Salvador Perez Park soccer field. "It's cool, it's soft, it's fun," said Mason, another football player. The resurfacing of the soccer field is just the beginning of a number of slated improvements for several parks in Santa Fe this year. However, parts of the youth soccer community are asking, with all these expected improvements, what's holding up renovations to the Municipal Recreation Complex (MRC). City of Albuquerque gives new look at Wells Park expansion "I mean, we got the money a year ago, but we're just starting now?" questioned Scott Hussion, the Executive Director of Northern Soccer Club. "Better late than never, and that's how it's going to work." The MRC is a multi-use sports complex on the west side of town with soccer, rugby, and softball fields. Last year, the legislature approved $3.47 million to renovate the complex, add more soccer fields, and improve amenities, according to the City of Santa Fe. It was heavily supported by the Northern Soccer Club, with a private donor willing to pitch in $3 million to make it happen. "It's frustrating because we have kids right now who need these fields," Hussion explained. The Northern Soccer Club has hundreds of players, meaning the club has gotten creative when finding places to play, such as resorting to baseball fields or local parks. With the addition of four new soccer fields as part of the MRC renovation, the club says local teams would have more options. A year after receiving state funds for the complex, the club says they'd like to see work begin on the park sooner than later. Santa Fe celebrating resurfaced sport field at Salvador Perez Park "Everyone knows it's needed," Hussion added. "This is a sport that has been growing exponentially over the years, and kids want to get outside and play any sport; this isn't just about soccer." The city says they've started getting the process rolling by speaking with local leagues, teams, and clubs this week about what the design for the project should look like. "We're going to have 30, 60, 90 percent check-ins with the community," said Melissa McDonald, Parks & Open Space Division Director for the City of Santa Fe. "We're going to be doing interviews; we're going to have surveys." When asked about what has been holding up the project, the city points to a list of processes they need to complete to make renovations happen. "Sometimes, it causes frustration because public entities are held to a higher standard; everything has to go through state procurement," McDonald explained. The design phase for the MRC is expected to be completed in a year. The city says they are also making improvements to Ragle Park later this month, as well as Alto Park, sometime this year. ...read more read less