The Streator High School board finalized a 10-year deal with the city of Streator to convert an unused football and baseball field into soccer fields at James Street Recreation Complex.

The board voted 4-1 to accept the agreement at a special meeting Wednesday, with board President Steve Biroschik, Richard Tutoky, Steve Hoekstra and Heather Baker voting in favor of it and Gary Wargo voting against it. Board members Earl Woeltje and Eric Hoffmeyer were not present Wednesday.

The Streator City Council approved the agreement unanimously June 30.

The school district approached the city in April with the idea. The high school will have exclusive use of the football field and large baseball field at no fee.

The district, however, plans to invest about $120,000 over time into the complex, including a scoreboard, new fencing, seeding, fertilizing and resurfacing, among other investments.

The district will use $63,000 to support improvements for the fields via a Community Partnership Grant with the Illinois State Board of Education. The district also will mow and maintain the fields.

The dog park will be unaffected by the agreement. The smaller fields used for T-ball and softball also will remain in use by those groups.

Streator High School athletic director Nick McGurk has said the high school has to ensure the fields are in safe condition first before it can play its games there.

The boys soccer team plays its home games in the fall at a field shared with other sports at the high school, and the girls team plays its home games in the spring at the YMCA.

The move will give the soccer programs their own fields, allowing for full junior varsity games, possible night games and less stress on the shared fields at SHS.

The football field and large baseball field have been inactive at James Street this summer, with the baseball field growing weeds in its infield dirt.