County approves detailed analysis of year-round multiuse sports facility

Presenter: Lane County takes the next step toward a year-round multiuse sports facility that will bring visitors here in the winter months, too. On July 14, Lane County’s Community Economic Development manager, Jason Harris: 

Jason Harris (Lane County, community economic development manager): This is in reference to the feasibility analysis of an indoor multiuse sports facility.

I’d like to start off to recognize my co-partners that have been a part of this effort: Samara Phelps with Travel Lane County and Corey Buller of Lane Event Center. They’re here in attendance if needed to answer any questions. We’d also like to thank the county’s procurement manager, Shawn Hubbell, for his guidance and assistance in the procurement process of selecting this consultant.

And we’re here to present for the board’s authorization a contract with Sports Facilities Advisory LLC for the feasibility analysis of an indoor multiuse sports facility.

As we may recall, Travel Lane County has been advocating for the creation of an indoor sports facility for more than a decade to boost winter tourism and increase overnight visitation to address sport tournament demand for indoor athletic space.

It has also been highlighted that a large multiuse facility could also potentially serve as an event space and or emergency shelter in the event of a natural disaster. Travel Lane County has provided some quarterly updates to the board about their efforts to evaluate the feasibility of this sports facility concept.

This past January, at the second quarterly update, the board gave direction for county staff to partner with Travel Lane County to share in the cost of the feasibility study. A request for proposal process was then initiated on May 1, the county received five proposals, and the Sports Facilities Advisory LLC was selected, and the contract award is being recommended for approval.

So Sports Facilities Advisory, LLC have, again, been selected based upon their advisory services, their competitive cost, as well as their local experience and familiarity. They’ve partnered with Hunton Andrews Kurth, a public finance law firm, to provide advisory services on financing options as a part of this proposal team.

And, as identified, the proposal services is $168,000, significantly less than what we had estimated, and they’re providing the service in five phases over a six-month time period in evaluating the three prospective sites and the development financing approach, developing ultimately a decision framework for the board to evaluate.

So I guess three projects sites under evaluation, and then bring all of that analysis together. We’ll obviously brief the board throughout the process in facilitating any decision framework going forward.

Presenter: Commissioner Pat Farr: 

Commissioner Pat Farr: Thanks for the presentation. This is all pretty exciting. I think working together in partnership with Travel Lane County is another great partnership that we have and the back and forth there has been tremendous through the years. And thanks for bringing that and continuing that.

And Ms. Phelps and I thank Commissioner (David) Loveall for continuing to be Lane County’s representative on the board of Travel Lane County. 

This work together is remarkable. Just wanted to ensure we have Korey Buller in the back, and Samara Phelps in here. Everybody’s in agreement with this, sounds like everybody’s, carrying it on their shoulders and moving it forward. Is that a good analysis on my part? 

Jason Harris: Chair, Commissioner Farr, yes, it’s unanimous in agreement and all parties are excited to work with the consultant team. 

Commissioner Pat Farr: Then I am too. Thank you.

Presenter: Commissioner Laurie Trieger:

Commissioner Laurie Trieger: You referenced in the cover memo to the item that there have been numerous other studies that Travel Lane has been, you know, held this vision for over a decade. So why has a study like this not happened before? How does this differ from the several other studies that are referenced as having been done?

Presenter: Jason Harris:

Jason Harris: Certainly. Chair, Commissioner, in context to past studies in reference and in reference to this study being presented today, I would say that the studies that have been produced today were exploratory in evaluating just scope of project: Is there a competitive opportunity in our region to have a sport-related indoor competitive facility? And so those were some of the first studies.

And then there was additional studies just looking at kind of a base program of size and potential location. But I would describe all of those as kind of perfunctory, cursory, and high-level evaluation.

And so this is going at a much deeper level of technical analysis of really refining to adaptive reuse sites and going through that full project scope evaluation as well as a concurrent evaluation of a new build on Lane Event Center.

And going deep in the context of full cost study and operation and governance of how those sites would be financed, developed, and operated under those three locations.

And then obviously, wrapping around in the evaluation: How would it be operated? Who could operate it? You know, what’s the funding needed? So just that level of detail will be coming out of the studies. 

Commissioner Laurie Trieger: Moving forward with this process, what has changed? 

Jason Harris: Chair, Commissioner, during that due diligence evaluation of just master planning and some of these early exploratory studies that I referenced, adaptive reuse—meaning using an existing office building and converting it into a sports recreation facility—was under consideration studywise.

And since that time, an additional adaptive reuse option, another facility was identified. And so, as this was being presented in the quarterly updates, Travel Lane County, formalizing into the direction that the board made, that was the scope that was being considered—evaluating those three options.

Presenter: Commissioner Ryan Ceniga:

Commissioner Ryan Ceniga: I’ll just say real quick, if I recall, I think we coined the term, this is to be our ‘decision-grade’ feasibility analysis. 

So yeah, I’m great with the three different locations. I think, as my direction was last time, we need to get a little more aggressive and come up with a plan and a decision.

I think we’re heading down that path. So six months does seem like a long time, but I think it’ll be the right time for everything to fall in place. This is exciting stuff…

Motion carries, 5-0. Thank you very much, Mr. Harris.

Presenter: The idea of a year-round multiuse sports facility moves to a ‘decision-grade’ feasibility analysis.