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City reports Sportsplex repairs and growing bookings; restaurants, lighting and netting remain priorities
Summary
City staff updated the council on Sportsplex operations, maintenance and revenues. Staff reported rising weekend tournament bookings, new pro‑shop sales and repairs to batting cages; they said restaurant and lighting upgrades and pavilion repairs remain unresolved.
City staff gave the City Council an operational update on the West Covina Sportsplex on Jan. 21, reporting increased bookings, interim revenue and a list of remaining capital and maintenance priorities.
Lede: Since the city assumed operations in 2021, staff said the Sportsplex—six replica ballfields, an indoor pavilion, batting cages, two restaurants and playgrounds—has required significant remediation and has begun to draw more tournaments, weekday rentals and pro‑shop sales.
Nut graf: Staff reported revenue trends improving: from July–December 2024 the facility generated $171,624 in admissions and sales, with expenditures over the same period of roughly $536,000; staff projects total FY 2024–25 Sportsplex revenues near $472,000. Staff emphasized that further repairs—restaurant renovations, pavilion covering and LED lighting, playground parts and new netting—remain priorities to support rental growth.
Deputy Community Services Director Susie Perez described maintenance work completed since mid‑2024: repairs to batting cages, contracted nightly janitorial services, some restroom and plumbing repairs and removal of damaged bleacher seating on baselines. Perez said the facility is fully booked on many weekends through July 2025 and already has dozens of tournament applications for the spring season; some tournaments draw 1,500–2,500 attendees per weekend. She said the city is negotiating with potential operators for at least one restaurant and had received proposals for broader operations and maintenance.
Staff outlined a set of capital/operational priorities—restaurant renovation or interim concession options, pavilion tarp repair, LED lighting for the pavilion, replacement/repair of batting cage and pavilion netting, Wi‑Fi installation and scoreboard replacements—and recommended staged improvements so two fields could be upgraded each year. Perez said the batting cage operates on a per‑minute fee schedule and that tournaments have generated substantial gate and concession revenue on busy weekends.
Ending: Council asked staff to return with a more detailed fee study and a three‑year operations plan that would estimate staffing needs for expanded hours, options for restaurant operation versus lease, and anticipated capital costs and payback schedules.
