ENTERPRISE, Ala. – A partnership between the city of Enterprise and Enterprise State Community College may bring to reality a multi-purpose sports complex that has been a topic of discussion since 2017.
At an Enterprise City Council work session held at the junior college multi-purpose room April 27, an overall master plan for a sports complex on land owned by both entities was discussed.
After Enterprise City Administrator Jonathan Tullos showed an architect’s rendition of the proposed sports complex to be located on the city’s Peavy Park and the community college campus, the group attending the meeting traveled to Peavy Park, the college’s ball fields and the college’s now defunct indoor swimming pool. “This is what a master plan plan for a multipurpose sports complex would look like—through partnership,” Tullos said.
In October 2017 Enterprise city government and civic leaders took a daylong bus trip to visit the Auburn University Wellness Center and the Opelika Sportsplex Aquatics Center.
The purpose of the trip was to get a first hand look at what other cities are doing with their recreation programs. That the Enterprise Recreation Center is 70 years old became a topic of discussion months earlier when the cracked and leaking city swimming pool on its campus was deemed not usable.
The Auburn Wellness Center is a 240,000 square foot, $72 million facility that was completed in 2014.
A 15,000 square foot facility designed for personal training has also been constructed. “A deal changer,”’ is what AU Wellness Center Executive Director Jennifer Jarvis called the multi-level facility during the tour. “The wellness center has become a destination place for our students and I know it will be a deal changer for your community.”
The Opelika Sportsplex and Aquatic Center is a 75,000 square foot facility that includes an adult activities center, swimming pool, two racquetball courts, two gyms, weight room, meeting rooms, multimedia rooms and walking track—all indoors. The $32 million center was the city’s first public-private partnership on a construction project. The complex is built on land that was donated by an individual with the stipulation that a center be constructed within five years or the land would revert back to his family. “The center is citizen driven, citizen funded,” the center director Sam Bailey told the Enterprise tour group during the Oct. 4, 2017 visit.
“The visit was a productive trip that gave us a lot to consider and think about,” said Enterprise Parks and Recreation Department Director Billy Powell to the council some months later. “But since our trip, it’s been at a standstill.”
At a February 2018 city council work session Powell suggested that “to keep the momentum going,” the council approve contracting with a consulting firm to do a conceptual design plan. “If we build this, we have one opportunity to build it. There are no ‘mulligans,’” Powell said, referencing a word used in golfing that allows for an extra stroke after a poor shot, a second chance.
At the Enterprise City Council work session Feb. 13, 2018 the council asked Powell to present to them names of firms qualified to do a conceptual design plan that included a needs analysis, feasibility study, possible location, budget costs to build a new facility, estimated operation costs and potential revenue.
Multiple public hearings were ultimately held by the consulting firm in 2018 to collect citizen input and priorities. At the council work session last week Tullos told those attending the meeting that soccer was recognized as the No. 1 youth sport and that the community wanted a bike trail and community pool.
“We’ve been tasked, as staff, by this administration to examine all items on the citizens’ priority list. We started looking at avenues to address some of those needs in the community,” Tullos said. “We have been looking at ways for the city and college to potentially partner on various activities. Any time that the college has been called on by the city they have always been good to the city.”
“And vice versa,” said Enterprise State Community College President Matt Rodgers. “That’s the way partners ought to do it.”
Located off of Bellwood Road on the south side of the city, Peavy Park was the next stop on the work session on wheels April 27. Powell said the 38-year-old park, which butts up against the community college property, has been “well preserved and has served its purpose.”
Powell said that the Peavy Park facilities are outdated but the area “is prime property,” and playground equipment which is “fairly new” could potentially be repurposed at another city park.
Soccer is currently being played at Peavy Park and under the proposed Peavy/ESCC Multipurpose Sports Complex plan, four soccer fields could be installed there. “When I say soccer field I mean a multi purpose rec field where we can play football and set up kickball,” Powell said.
Walking trails, concession stands, a playground, sand volleyball court, parking and bike trails. “This is all things that could happen with a partnership between the community college and city. Another benefit is to be building on the south side of town.”
“This is the section of town where we will see a lot of the growth in the next generation,” said Enterprise City Council President Turner Townsend. “This (proposed sports complex) gives the citizens on the south side of town an opportunity to enhance their quality of life.”
The final stop on the mobile work session was the now defunct indoor swimming pool on the college campus. “It has served a lot of people. Citizens from the community used it. I think it would be used again. It was wildly popular,” said Rodgers.
The pool’s structure is in good shape, said Enterprise City Engineer/Director of Public Works Barry Mott, referring to a study done of the pool some six years ago. “All the pipes, filters, pumps, heaters need to be replaced. It’s a good bit of work but this is definitely an option.”
No official voting may be done at a work session. The work session was for preliminary discussion of options only.
“Our doors are always open,” Rodgers told the city council. “We are a lot stronger if we work together. We’re excited about the future because we all have one common goal,” Rodgers added. “And that is to serve the community because what a fantastic community it is that we live in.”
The next meeting of the Enterprise City Council is a work session May 18 at 5 p.m. in the council chambers at Enterprise City Hall. A voting meeting begins at 6 p.m. Both meetings are open to the public.
