Sports alliance seeks blessing for ‘Generations Next’ campus and FEMA-backed 1,622-person safe room

Pierre Alexander, who the commission recognized as representing the Robertson County Sports Alliance, asked the commission to bless a planned Generations Next Academy campus that would be anchored by a hazard‑mitigation safe room. Alexander said the hazard‑mitigation grant application was submitted Sept. 5 at FEMA’s request and that the grant request is $5,800,000; he described that award as covering the safe room building only.

Alexander described the safe room as a concrete structure “that can house or protect 1,622 people in this community.” He said the grant is not 100% federal: the award would cover roughly 75% of the safe‑room cost and the project team would need to raise the remaining 25% as local match. Alexander said the safe room is phase one; future phases could include a daycare, additional sports fields and courts, and other campus amenities that the grant would not pay for.

Commissioners and members of the public asked logistics questions. Alexander said the application was submitted after FEMA invited an early submission and that, with architecture and geotechnical work, he expects construction and opening could occur in roughly two to three years. He added that emergency management (EMA) is part of planning and that the project team is developing an evacuation and traffic‑flow plan for school‑adjacent sites.

Alexander repeatedly emphasized the nonprofit’s community work and said the campus could host regional tournaments that bring hotel and tourism revenue to the county. He asked only for the commission’s blessing and community support at this stage; he did not request direct county funding. “That’s why I’m here to tell you guys about Generation’s next academy,” he said, asking for the commission’s blessing.

The commission encouraged the applicant to keep the county informed as the grant and design process proceed.