Newberry weighs moving gym from Easton to Champions Park South 40 to host tournaments

At a Sept. 2 recreational visioning workshop, City of Newberry parks staff asked commissioners whether the city should expand the Easton gym or build a larger, four-court facility on the South 40 at Champions Park to support tournaments and other revenue-generating events. Rod Clark, the city's parks and recreation director, framed the question as a choice between a constrained expansion at Easton and a blank-slate build at Champions Park.

The difference is largely one of capacity and site constraints. Clark told the commission Easton can only accommodate two additional courts, which would leave the site with three courts; "to host tournaments" he said, "we need a minimum of four." He also raised a site-specific constraint: part of the Easton site sits over a potential sinkhole and any corrective fill could be open-ended in cost. By contrast, the South 40 at Champions could support a four-court gym and additional amenities, opening the city to volleyball and basketball tournaments and larger events.

Why it matters: commissioners and staff said a four-court facility would increase rental revenue, attract overnight visitors and could support private development nearby. The city manager said moving the gym to Champions strengthens the case for hotel development adjacent to the park and that some donations and existing capital set-asides make the option financially plausible. Staff noted that some funding already exists in Wild Spaces-designated money and that additional philanthropic support has been discussed.

Commissioners and staff also discussed how a Champions-site gym would fit into a broader master plan for Champions Park's Southern 40 acres: a four-court gym as a centerpiece, supporting multipurpose fields, playground space, food trucks and event infrastructure to serve both tournaments and local use. Paul Streising, the consultant who prepared conceptual renderings and site maps, presented a design option that places the event/gym complex in the northwest corner of the South 40 with parking, an outdoor stage and adjacent tournament fields.

Staff emphasized implementation choices and timing. Clark said most of the projects discussed are long-range (five to 15 years) and that moving on the South 40 option would require further design, cost estimates and phased decisions. Commissioners asked about operating costs and payback; staff said estimates for annual maintenance and operations are not finalized and committed to returning with budget projections. No formal vote was held; commissioners directed staff to develop renderings, refined cost estimates and stepwise options for future commission agenda review.