More Odessans have responded to a sports complex survey being conducted by the City of Odessa than any other survey before and the results are clear.
They want indoor basketball, indoor volleyball courts and outdoor multi-sports fields.
On Feb. 14, the Odessa City Council agreed to hire Synergy Global for $15,000 to conduct a sports complex feasibility study. Since that time, they have asked residents to participate in a 10-question online survey in the hopes of finding out what Odessans would want in such a facility.
On Wednesday night, the city also held the first of two community meetings to gauge their feelings. More than 30 residents met with Synergy Founder Jason Boudrie and Council members Mark Matta, Denise Swanner and Greg Connell at the Lawndale Community Building.
Boudrie told the group more than 2,800 people have responded to the online survey so far, with 60% of them residing in Districts 2 and 4. Given where they live, Boudrie said it’s probably not surprising to learn 66% of the respondents would like a sports complex in their area.
Eighty-three percent of the respondents said they’d like both fields and indoor space even if it brought more traffic.
Synergy, which also develops and manages multi-sports facilities and recreation centers, helped create a $25 million sports complex in Heath, a $125 million complex in Colorado and a $40 million project in New Jersey.
Boudrie told the group every project starts with a blank slate. They have no preconceived ideas and build facilities based upon data.
They not only meet with citizens to get their input, but they look at demographics and socioeconomics, sports participation rates, competitors, the size and components of the city’s courts and fields, possible partnerships and construction costs, Boudrie said.
By gathering all of that information, Synergy “can make a very educated decision and come back to the city council and say ‘This is what the data said. This is what the community said and this is what we are recommending,’” Boudrie said.
While Synergy “doesn’t have a dog in this fight,” Boudrie stressed the last thing he wants to do is put his name on a facility that isn’t working two or three years down the road.
He wants to make sure a community gets the sports complex they need and want, but he also wants to ensure it is a self-sustaining facility, Boudrie said.
Since Synergy began building projects 15-20 years ago, a lot has changed, Boudrie said. Nowadays, communities are often looking to build facilities that will entice teams from other communities to schedule tournaments there.
“Sports tourism” can bring in additional restaurant and motel sales tax revenues, but it can also present challenges with traffic and too few amenities, Boudrie said.
In looking at Odessa in terms of sports tourism, Synergy has determined that by 2027 there will be nearly 369,000 people living within 30 miles of Odessa, more than 462,000 living within 60 miles and more than 1 million within 120-miles. The average household income in Odessa in 2027 will be an estimated $110,000.
The size of any complex will depend upon what features the community wants and what the community can sustain, he said.
While there may be plenty of teams willing to travel a couple of hours to Odessa on the weekends, the trick is being able to afford operating it Monday through Friday, Boudrie said.
On the positive side, folks who live a couple of hours away will come less frequently, they’ll spend more money while they’re here, he said.
In addition to going over the online surveys, Boudrie and city staff gave the attendees five stickers apiece and asked them to place them on poster boards showing other activities they might be interested in. Theoretically, they could place all five stickers on one item, one on five items or split them more evenly.
When they were done, ice rinks received 42 stickers, far outpacing an advanced rope course (20), pump track (18), laser tag (17) and such things as a climbing wall, e-sports space, golf simulator, teen room, bumper cars and inflatables.
Those who responded online listed competitive pools and ice rinks last on their list of priorities.
The online survey also indicates residents would like to see indoor turf areas, baseball/softball fields, indoor batting cages and playgrounds/splash parks.
A few people in attendance told Boudrie they were more focused on fields than the items listed on the poster board, pointing out Cinergy Odessa already provides those amusements.
After the meeting Matta said he knew many Odessans have long been interested in a sports complex, but was quite pleased to see how many took the time to turnout Wednesday night and fill out the surveys.
“We’re finally getting some traction on it,” Matta said.
Although he’d love to have a sports complex in District 1, Matta said city-owned property south of the interstate is in a flood zone.
“I have to look at what’s the best solution for the city,” Matta said.
Most of the city’s growth is in District 2, Matta said.
The city owns property near Home Depot, but there’s also hope a local developer might be willing to donate land to the city, he said.
A Midland man who attended the meeting suggested the city approach the Midland City Council to see if there would be interest in a joint complex. He also suggested the city reach out to the oil and gas industry to see if companies might be willing to invest.
Synergy is expected to finish compiling their data following a second community meeting that was scheduled to be held Thursday night. They’ll come back before the city council March 28 with potential site and floor plans, renderings, ideas on financing the project and a potential operating budget.
Interested?
The City of Odessa Parks and Recreation Department and the city’s Quality of Life committee is conducting their second community meeting on a proposed sports complex tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Nimitz Middle School, 4500 Maple Avenue. Attendees will be given the results of an online survey and provide input.
Want to chime in?
Do you have definite ideas on what you’d like to see in a sports complex? Visit: tinyurl.com/43ky5je9
There are 10 questions and you’ll be asked to prioritize sports wants and needs and amenities. If you have any questions, contact Steve Patton at [email protected] or (432)368-3548.
