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Rolesville seeks Wake County grant for five-field 'farm' complex; NCFC pledged funding
Summary
Parks & Recreation staff said Rolesville applied for a Wake County hospitality grant that would cover roughly half of a $7.6 million soccer-field element; NCFC has pledged $960,000 and the town’s preliminary share was described as about $2.85 million if the grant is awarded. A grant decision is expected in mid-to-late February.
June Green, Rolesville’s parks and recreation director, told the board on Jan. 6 that staff has advanced a master-plan effort for the town’s proposed 'farm' recreation complex and submitted a Wake County hospitality-tax grant application to fund a multi-field soccer component.
Green said consultants and community workshops have refined the concept and that the project’s soccer component carries an estimated total cost of $7.6 million. The Wake County grant the town applied for would cover roughly half of the soccer-field cost (about $3.8 million). Green said NCFC has committed $960,000 toward the effort and that the town’s remaining share would be a little over $2.85 million if the full grant is awarded.
“We have partnered with NCFC… they would be bringing in tournaments, bringing in tourism, bringing in revenue to all of our businesses,” Green said, describing league and tournament uses that could produce new overnight stays and patronage for local restaurants. She said the town’s application included a broader master-plan update and that staff will return to the board with refined layouts, acreage calculations and cost phases after the next ADW workshop.
Commissioners pressed for additional details: how many acres five fields would occupy, whether the town has contingency funding, and what revenue-sharing or lease arrangements with outside partners would look like. Green said the grant decision is expected in mid-to-late February and that if the grant is not awarded the town would likely scale the project into a later phase or pursue other funding sources. Staff also said the town has other funding sources to pursue, including Land and Water Conservation Fund grants and other opportunistic grants.
Board members said they want a clear master-plan layout, a conservative estimate of town costs and projected revenue forecasts before committing to accelerated spending. Green said staff will present the updated master plan and more precise fiscal and acreage data at a future meeting.
