James Mayse
Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.
(TNS)
Jan. 18—Owensboro city commissioners are moving ahead with several major projects, including construction of a fire training center and a downtown indoor sports complex.
Tuesday night, commissioners approved bonds to finance construction of the complex. In December, city officials approved purchasing two lots in the 500 block of West Fifth Street and the 500 block of West Fourth Street to build an 88,000-square-foot sportsplex.
The $35.350 million bond ordinance also includes funds for construction of a fire training center, renovation and redesign of Fire Station 3 and new light poles at Jack C. Fisher Park. The bond also includes $3 million for design work and to accommodate for possible increases in construction costs.
Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the bonds.
“We are very excited” about the sports complex, Mayor Tom Watson said after Tuesday’s meeting. “It makes us competitive with other communities.”
Officials said previously the sportsplex will be open during the week for use by city residents. On weekends, the goal is to book the sportsplex with tournaments that will bring visitors to town.
A consultant who has worked on multiple similar facilities told commissioners in July a “sportsplex” would generate about $1.3 million a year in hotel room rentals and $3.1 million annually in other sales, if the facility was booked for tournaments 50% of weekends.
Watson said Owensboro will have a competitive advantage in attracting tournaments compared to other cities with indoor sports complexes.
“Our community is so much better than other communities to be in,” Watson said.
Commissioner Pam Smith-Wright, who was elected after discussions about the various projects had taken place, said she supports the OFD fire training center and the renovations to Fire Station 3.
“We need that fire department stuff, so that’s how I voted,” Smith-Wright said.
The property selected for the sportsplex is valuable in helping develop downtown, Smith-Wright said.
“We need that piece of property where the sportsplex will be. That’s a vital piece of property downtown,” she said. “If it’s a sportsplex (on the site), so be it.”
Commissioner Larry Maglinger said the sportsplex could be an asset, but noted the Owensboro Convention Center is already attracting sports tournaments with its sports floors.
“I hope that (the sportsplex) will produce over 12,000 room nights like the consultant says,” Maglinger said. “That’s a lot of room nights and a lot of tournaments.”
Maglinger said he supported funding the OFD projects and replacing the light poles at Fisher Park.
“The way it was packaged, you have to vote for them all,” Maglinger said.
Mayor Pro Tem Mark Castlen said of the bonds, “I feel a little more comfortable since it has been trimmed down a little bit.”
Plans to build a transient boat dock on the riverfront were removed from the bond ordinance, after the previous commission, which ended in December, didn’t have the votes to approve the bonds with the boat dock project included.
“The consensus from our constituents is they wanted the sportsplex,” Castlen said. “I’m looking forward to getting it up and running and working with the convention center to fill (hotel) beds and restaurants.”
Castlen said the sportsplex and convention center could work together to bring large indoor tournaments to town.
“It’s going to be a couple years, but seeing the progress m