Rotary-led plan for Houston County sports complex seeks $21 million in grants and a county parks department to maintain it

Organizers of a proposed Houston County Sports Complex presented a design concept and preliminary budget at a county workshop, saying the “ultimate” version would cost $21,062,737 and must be fully funded by outside grants or donations before construction can begin.

The design concept, presented to the Houston County Commission, shows a family plaza with parking, splash pad, pavilion, restrooms and playground near the main entrance on Highway 49 in Tennessee Ridge; three baseball fields, three softball fields and concessions; and a multipurpose field for soccer and flag football. Presenters said the project would make use of roughly 30–32 acres, including more than 10 acres that would come with a county armory site the county is considering adding to the property.

Proponents said the project must be completed as a single capital campaign because construction would require heavy earthmoving that would destroy existing fields; those youth fields could be out of service for about 12–18 months during construction. They said the organizing nonprofit would lead capital fundraising and construction, then hand the completed complex to the county for long-term operation.

Organizers described the project as a regional draw for neighboring counties such as Stewart and Humphreys and said the layout aims to support tournaments and travel teams by addressing parking and traffic flow. The concept includes a two-lane in-and-out drive with pull-offs and multiple parking areas; presenters said an exact parking count is not yet finalized because site plans and grading remain incomplete.

Budget and operations

The group presented a three-part financial outline: (1) capital construction (the $21,062,737 “ultimate” concept), (2) a projected annual operations budget of $425,000, and (3) a one-time startup equipment list priced at approximately $50,000.

The annual operations estimate includes $300,000 in salaries and $125,000 in operating expenses. The staffing estimate calls for five county employees to run the complex: a full-time parks and recreation director ($100,000), a full-time assistant ($50,000) and three grounds-and-maintenance employees (each budgeted at $50,000, including overhead). The one-time equipment list includes a commercial mower, utility vehicles, aerator and other field maintenance tools.

Organizers said funding sources would be a mix of grants and private contributions; they repeatedly stated the project could not proceed unless the group secures 100% of capital costs before disturbing existing fields. They told commissioners they are targeting late fall (November–December) for initial funding rounds but that, if those fail, a follow-up target would be late spring (April–May).

County commitment requested

At the workshop a commissioner asked for a formal county commitment: a proposal was put forward (no formal vote was recorded at the meeting) asking staff to prepare a resolution to create a county parks and recreation department funded at $425,000 per year and to direct the FY27 budget committee to identify funding sources and prepare a full operations budget. Organizers said many grantors will require a long-term operating commitment from the county before funding capital construction.

Presenters and project partners

Project materials list Ryan Engineering among the consulting firms and identify multiple architects and engineers working on the concept. Organizers said having several specialty firms — a practice they described as standard for projects of this scale — helps when applying for funding. They also said local volunteers and consultants (named in public remarks as Dustin and Seth) have contributed hundreds of unpaid hours to the plan. The organizing nonprofit was referenced during discussion but its precise official name was not consistently stated in the workshop materials.

Impact and next steps

Organizers said the plan was sized to meet county-level demand (three baseball and three softball fields to allow multiple games per night) and to host regional tournaments, which they said would attract users from neighboring counties. They emphasized parking, circulation and field maintenance as design priorities.

No formal county action or vote was taken at the workshop: presenters asked commissioners to await finalized plans and funding commitments before approving any county operating commitments or capital pledges. Staff and organizers said they will return with more detailed plans, a finalized grant strategy and a proposed resolution for the commission to consider at an upcoming meeting if funding progress is made.

Ending

Organizers reiterated that the proposal is an early-stage design concept requiring substantial fundraising; they asked the commission to consider the requested multi-decade operating commitment because, they said, grantors will seek assurance the county can sustain the complex once built.