Council and sports authority approve sports‑complex design phase, authorize budget amendments
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Summary
The Lawton Youth Sports Authority and city council approved proceeding through design for a proposed multi‑field youth sports complex and indoor facility, accepted phased costing that could reach $35M–$60M depending on scope, and approved an amended support agreement and budget items to fund design and early work.
The Lawton Youth Sports Authority and the City Council on Tuesday approved advancing a proposed youth sports complex through the construction‑document design phase and approved related budget and support‑agreement amendments to fund remaining design work.
Project overview and site control
The authority reported it has acquired 40 acres (Richards Frank Trust parcel) for $300,000 and has negotiated lease language with Lawton Public Schools to control additional adjacent acreage. The proposed master plan shows multiple rectangular turfed multipurpose fields, baseball/softball diamonds with movable outfield fences, and an indoor complex with eight convertible basketball courts (convertible to 16 volleyball courts) and indoor turfed practice areas. Consultants from Eastern Sports Management (ESM) and architectural partners presented conceptual massing and programming; the plan is schematic and intended to be scalable and phased.
Cost estimates and funding
Project presenters said preliminary costs for a building of approximately 140,000–145,000 square feet were in the $35 million range for the indoor facility alone, with a full build‑out including outdoor turfed fields estimated near $60 million. The city has a $3 million grant from the McMahon Foundation (of which $300,000 was used to buy the land); the authority and city discussed securing additional funding, including CIP allocations and philanthropy. The council approved (by separate motion) a second amendment to the support agreement and an amended FY25 budget transfer to provide $550,000 for design plus $80,000 to address operational shortfalls previously identified by the sports authority.
Council action
The council voted to approve the project through the design phase and approved the amended budget and support agreement that provides the additional design funding; both motions carried unanimously. The council also ratified the authority’s resolution approving the project scope and additionally approved a smaller authorization to proceed with soil testing and site geotechnical work (procurement for site investigation was approved by the authority and ratified by the council by two‑thirds where required).
Phasing and next steps
Authority leaders emphasized the project will be phased; the council’s approval funds the professional services and design work to produce construction documents that will make the project shovel ready for grant applications. The authority said it expects to package outdoor fields for later phases and will pursue additional public and private funding sources as the design and cost estimates are refined.
Ending
Staff and the authority will proceed with design contracts and a geotechnical evaluation; the council asked for continued updates on funding sources and implementation milestones prior to any construction commitments.
