KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – The Kalamazoo County board has voted to move ahead with plans to build a new youth sports facility, by giving initial approval for plans to finance it.
That involves staging a referendum of large local hotel owners to get their support for a 4% assessment on room rentals. That money would pay off a $40-million bond.
First commissioners heard from parents, coaches, young athletes, hoteliers, and state Representative Matt Longjohn, who all support the plan, saying it will be great for local athletes, their families and great for local business.
Commissioners then heard from lawyers, sports management experts and Discover Kalamazoo Director Jane Ghosh on their detailed financial projections and a consultant’s poll of tournament organizers.
“As you can see here we do expect a deficit in year 1, but starting in year 2 they see the facility as breaking even and then profitable for the years 3 and 4 immediately following,” says Ghosh. “We conducted you know really robust multifactor analysis based on presumptions that are well founded in in the data. We have a significant amount of data behind each of our assumptions.”
Ghosh says they are working on a tight timetable, hoping to have a yes vote and a site by this summer, because they don’t want some other community to beat them to the punch.
“Following that hotel referendum in May we would then be recommending the decision on the location, we have 3 locations that are all viable in different locations across the county.”
Discover Kalamazoo needs the county board to stage the referendum and appoint the authority that would oversee the operation of the sports complex.
The county board gave unanimous approval to the first reading of the ordinance that will set the project in play, if approved at their next meeting.
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