Cars dot the parking of the South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Community Center in December 2023.
Gazette-Mail file photo
South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä might soon see an $80 million development aimed at expanding its sports, conference and event facilities. Mayor Frank Mullens said he believes the project, which will include larger, more modern facilities, will cater to the growing needs of the region.
The initial planning phase bid was awarded to ZMM Architects. This phase could take about 18 months. A site and completion date for the project have not been determined.
“It’s going to be a long process,†Mullens said. “We want to make sure we get it right.â€
Currently, the city’s community center — which offers fitness classes, a gym, and various amenities — has faced significant challenges. The facility, located at 601 Jefferson Road, has been flooded nine times since it opened in July 1982 and requires costly repairs. And its location in a floodplain makes these repairs financially unfeasible.
“There’s a lot of cost to the upgrade of that facility,†Mullens said. “It will come due soon, and you’re not going to want to put millions and millions of dollars into a facility that’s in a floodplain that’s been underwater nine times, right?â€
Hunter Moles, recreation director for the city of South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä, echoed the mayor’s sentiments, pointing out that, while the current facility is functional, there are several issues that have arisen over time.
“It would be nice to have a new building where some of the things might not break as often,†he said. “When there’s heavy rain, we always kind of cross our fingers a little bit.â€
Moles, who also is a basketball coach at ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Catholic High School, said he believes the new facility will serve not only South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä residents, but also the wider Kanawha Metro region, providing both practical and economic benefits.
“I think it’ll be great for our South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä residents, but residents around the state, too,†Moles said. “As a basketball guy myself, I’m super excited to see a nice new coliseum built. It’ll be great for high school sports and could bring in bigger tournaments and events we couldn’t have before.â€
Mullens also highlighted the success of previous sports-related investments, such as a million-dollar turfing project at Little Creek Park about a decade ago.
Mullens
Mullens said, “I think we were the first government entity to take our recreation facilities and upgrade them, put turf down, and we paid for our turf in one year with the tournaments that came in. I think we host seven tournaments a year up there, a minimum of 60 teams and a maximum of 100 teams.â€
He noted that this means full hotels and restaurants when those tournaments take place.
“At the bottom of the high school hill, there’s a Dollar General, there’s a GoMart, and a Par Mar. There wasn’t a Gatorade to be bought in any of those three stores. That’s a true story. They were sold out,†Mullens recalled.
The mayor emphasized that the new development also will address a direct need in the area.
“Once the University of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä closed their pool, which is where a lot of competitive swimming events took place ... there’s a need for a new competitive swimming pool here in the valley. That’s what we hope this will provide the service for, particularly our high school swim teams, which don’t really have a place to go,†Mullens said.
Mullens also said the project will not rely on the city’s general funds and will not accrue long-term debt for the city.
The development will be paid for using monies from the South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Park Place Economic Opportunity Development District, a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district that will encompass the new sports/health center and the Park Place Shopping Center along MacCorkle Avenue across from the current Riverwalk Plaza.
All the tax dollars from that district go back into the district.
According to Mullens, a 7% sales tax is applied, with 6% going to the state and 1% to the city. The 6% state tax revenue is redirected back to the TIF district. Then, bonds issued by the TIF district will fund the project and be repaid through the generated sales tax revenue.
Project documents from the city of South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä state this development area “has the highest traffic counts in the state of WV with more than 175,000 vehicles passing per day.â€
“That’s the beauty of this deal. The city doesn’t have to go into long-term debt. Because this project will be strictly paid for out of the TIF district,†Mullens said.
The mayor noted that financial experts estimate that the TIF district is projected to generate $400 million-$500 million over 30 years and has already begun funding large projects. However, borrowing against the TIF district means that “everything’s negotiable,†depending on the revenue produced by the retailers and service providers inside.
“Would we possibly have to scale back in the future? I don’t know what the future holds. It could be more, it could be less, but we’re pretty confident in projections,†Mullens said. “So, if everything goes as we have planned, this is no question something we’re going to do. If some of the businesses that have committed to come change their mind or lose revenue, that would affect the revenue projections up or down.â€
What may be coming
Potential features of the new development include:
A 25-meter pool with at least six lanes
Separate therapy pool for physical therapy and rehabilitation
Potential collaboration with health care providers for water-based physical therapy services
Traditional health club with weight rooms and cardio equipment
Space for group exercise classes
A 3,000-4,000 seat sports coliseum
Coliseum bleachers that can be pushed inward to reveal multiple basketball courts
The existing community center staff will transition to the new facility. Based on operational needs, additional jobs could be created.
The mayor also said there are a few spaces currently being considered to house the development. However, the need for about 16 acres of land to have both facilities on one campus has limited where the development could go.
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