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Booster club pitches indoor hitting facility; board OKs letter to ICCU seeking funding and naming-rights talks
Summary
Rob Harris, Thunder Ridge baseball booster president, presented a proposed indoor hitting facility estimated at about $230,000 and said ICCU has signaled interest in funding with naming rights; the board approved a letter of support and asked for safeguards so the district bears no cost until funds are in hand.
Rob Harris, president of the Thunder Ridge baseball booster club, asked the Bonneville Joint District board to back preliminary outreach to Idaho Central Credit Union (ICCU) to fund a proposed indoor hitting and training facility between the baseball and softball fields.
Harris told the board the preferred design is a pole-barn structure about 42 by 96 feet with 17-foot ceilings and a turf floor suited to pitching and hitting drills. He gave an initial materials-and-installation bid of roughly $120,000 and estimated about $230,000 total when insulation, turf, permitting and site work are included. "Their initial response was, we're interested," Harris said of ICCU, but he emphasized nothing is committed.
Why it matters: the district is short on winter practice space, Harris and staff said, and a dedicated indoor space would free school gyms and allow off-season training for pitchers and hitters. Board members pressed on construction longevity, foundation and moisture control. Trustee 14 warned that pole barns can suffer moisture and rust at the siding/foundation interface and suggested alternatives such as an eight-foot concrete wall or a Quonset-style building to improve durability.
Board concerns and safeguards: staff and trustees repeatedly emphasized the district must not accept financial risk. District staff said the usual donation route or a foundation receiving the gift would be options, but public-bidding and procurement rules apply if the district becomes the contracting party. Harris said his outreach to ICCU would make clear "the funds would have to be completely deposited, and then only at that point will we move forward." Trustee 13 and other trustees urged including contractual protections, attorney review and contingency planning for change orders.
Board action and next steps: the board voted to authorize drafting a letter of support and to permit deeper, district-included conversations with ICCU, provided the district retains oversight and requires funding to be secured prior to committing to construction. The motion was made and seconded, and the chair announced the motion carries.
The booster club and district representatives will meet with ICCU and return to the board with specifics on funding, contract terms, procurement pathway and any required district approvals. If ICCU or another funder proceeds, the board said it will require clear, written terms, legal review and assurances that the district will not be left covering change orders or unplanned costs.
