News

$120 Million Sports Complex Proposed for Clark County

03/24/2008 15:18:13


SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -- A local private developer wants to build a 200-acre, $120 million sports facility in Clark County as a one-stop shop for athletics, officials announced Monday, March 24.

"It's never been done really on this scale," said Kent Sherry, executive officer of the county's Building Industry Association. "If you participate in a sport, you typically have to go to a certain facility of that sport." The facility would be privately owned and operated, and it would not be funded by taxes, he said, though Sherry declined to name the developer until a meeting later this week.

A location has not yet been chosen for the facility, which is still in the negotiations stage, he said. Among its amenities, the facility would have four ice rinks, four indoor soccer fields, up to a dozen volleyball courts and six basketball courts, along with space for conference rooms, Sherry said.

"(The facility) could lure sports conferences here," he said, adding that local hotels and motels would profit. The developer is exploring the possibility of using as many local contractors and builders as possible, Sherry said.

Sherry is already braced for concerns about competition to the city's proposed ice rink and its Splash Zone waterpark. "It would not really compete," Sherry said, pointing out that Splash Zone is only open three months a year and the downtown's ice rink would be public while the facility's rink would only host teams.
(Story courtesy Springfield News-Sun)

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