CCLP/LYNETTE SOWELL Kevin Schuh, with Sports Facilities Companies, leads a discussion at the Copperas Cove Civic Center about a future sports complex in Copperas Cove. The City is conducting an online survey.
The City of Copperas Cove is exploring ideas for the construction of a sports complex, and it is looking for community input to get started.
There is no location, no design, no concept decided for the facility at this time.
One of the first steps occurred on Tuesday, when the Copperas Cove Parks & Recreation Department held a Community Vision Open House at the Copperas Cove Civic Center.
The come-and-go meeting served as an opportunity for community members to learn more about a proposed sports complex for the city.
This proposed sports complex is basically a blank slate concept at this time. However, Tuesday’s discussion had to do with the idea that this facility could be a source of revenue for the city by hosting tournaments, such as baseball and softball tournaments.
There is an online survey that the City is inviting residents to participate in, located at https://engage.sportsfacilities.com/city-copperas-cove-tx-feasibility-s…. The survey will be available online for about three to four weeks.
On Tuesday, Kevin Schuh, with Sports Facilities Companies was present to lead the discussion. The City is working with Sports Facilities Companies (SFC) to conduct the feasibility study for the sports complex. SFC manages more than 100 sports venues nationwide and provides advisory, development, and management services.
“We’re not making any presentations on what this facility will be. This is a fact-finding mission for us,” said Schuh. “We’re coming into community that is wanting to know, ‘Hey, we want to get involved in sports tourism. We have this amount of potential growth within the community. We want something that will generate economic impact. We also need something to impact our local residents and the ability to participate in activities as well.’ What does that look like? What is the facility? What is the potential return, or the potential subsidy? How much will it cost to build?”
Discussion surrounded what people believed to be the greatest needs in Copperas Cove, challenges, and how they would “sell” Copperas Cove to someone who had never been here.
Examples were given of several outdoor sports complexes that had “flex fields,” outdoor fields that could be used for sports, not just baseball and softball. Other elements were brought up, such as disc golf and perhaps even pickle ball.
One example Schuh gave was the sports complex Public Sports Park in Panama City Beach, Florida.
An attendee on Tuesday said he has been to that complex.
“I took my seven-on-seven team down there, for one of the national tournaments. What I would say, and this is just in my opinion, with our youth here, in order to keep our youth active, I will be in agreement with it. I went to these facilities in other states and I’ve seen the revenue that’s generated, with the hotels, the restaurants, all of this.
“We want people to move into our city and bring better athletes. I believe that we have a lot of dead space in Copperas Cove that we’re not maximizing. If we can come in agreement with this, I believe it’s a win-win for the city.”
The feasibility study aims to determine the optimal facility to meet community needs and goals, with a focus on sports tourism and economic impact. The idea behind the facility would be so the City can host tournaments and boost the local economy.
The study will also consider various facility types, including outdoor diamonds and multi-purpose venues, and will include community surveys and market analysis.
One of the biggest challenges is funding, with some sports facilities having an estimated cost of $50-$75 million.
It takes several years from concept to reality for sports complexes of this type, Schuh said.
Back in March 2024, the Copperas Cove city council directed the city to conduct a feasibility study for a proposed sports complex that is part of the city’s capital improvement plan. It’s a long way from any type of vote, so Tuesday’s gatherings were to get input about what the community would like to see.
During the March 2024 discussions, it was said that a source of financing for the sports complex would be bonds that would need to be approved by Copperas Cove voters first. At that time, the city’s financial advisor recommended the city conduct a feasibility study about the facility.
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