Kanawha County officials will study a proposal to build a multi-sport complex at Shawnee Park in Dunbar, the county commission decided Thursday evening.
Commissioners voted to spend between $40,000 and $70,000 on an economic impact study and plan to put several sports fields at the park, which currently holds a nine-hole golf course and swimming pool.
Newly-appointed commissioner Ben Salango, who proposed the sport complex, said it will benefit community's kids as well as its economy.
"Anything that we can do for kids, and specifically youth activities, would keep kids out of trouble," Salango said after the meeting. "[Sports] builds self-esteem. It's great for kids to be able to have that type of camaraderie. The more time they spend on the soccer field, the less time they spend doing something they shouldn't be doing....
"In addition, to that it's gonna be a tremendous economic boost to Kanawha County," Salango said.
Salango said he envisions youth travel sports teams from major cities within 250 miles of Charleston using the sports complex and in so doing, patronizing hotels, restaurants and other businesses in the area.
Plans have not been decided but Salango said he envisions a complex with six collegiate-sized turf soccer fields, six to eight baseball fields, and possibly a track. The soccer fields could accommodate lacrosse games as well. Baseball fields could hold softball games as well, he told commissioners.
The proposed complex plan was met with some resistance Thursday from people who said they play golf at Shawnee. Two men told commissioners the golf course is often used by senior citizens for exercise. One man suggested that Charleston would be a better place for the sports complex.
Commission President Kent Carper told those opposed to the complex that there would be plenty of opportunities for public comment about the proposal.
Salango said some potential plans for the complex that he's seen would keep at least a portion of the park's golf course. Losing the park's golf course would be worth it, though, Salango said.
"And I know that people are going to be upset - some of the folks that use it regularly," Salango said. "[But] there are other golf courses in the county."
Carper said the complex could cost between $2 million and $5 million to build.
In March 2015, the Charleston Convention and Visitor's Bureau released the results of a study about the potential economic impact of competitive travel sports in the region. Don Schumacher, executive director of the National Association of Sports Commissions, told the CVB board and others that Shawnee Park would be a good location for a sports complex. Schumacher said a study of the feasibility should be done.
"We've looked at this in the past and the studies have indicated the best location is Shawnee Park," Salango said. "So we're asking for an updated study, just to make sure that is still the case."
Allen Tackett, president of the county's Parks and Recreation board, said he supports the proposed sports complex project.
In other business:
n Commissioners voted to buy new touch-screen voting machines for around $3.2 million. The money will come from the county's stabilization (rainy day) fund, Carper said. The county will also spend another nearly $300,000 from the county clerk's budget for carts to hold the new voting machines.
n Commissioners voted to fund the build-out of office space at the old Clendenin Middle School to house a non-profit organization called Mined Minds, which aims to bring software jobs and training to coal towns in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The project would allow for 20 coding jobs. The property is maintained by the non-profit group 25045 - A New Clendenin.
Mined Minds co-founder Jonathan Graham told the commission Clendenin would be the non-profit's second location. It has an office in Pennsylvania as well. The commission voted to spend up to $40,000 on the build out plus $900 a month for rent for two years.
n The commission voted to help East Bank Middle School purchase a new sports scoreboard. The county will give the school more than $9,500. The school raised $2,500 for the sign as well.
n The commission also voted to put a 5-year public safety levy on the ballot for May 2018. The levy supports the Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority, the Kanawha County Emergency Ambulance Authority, various also police and fire agencies and public safety grants. Whether the tax would increase has yet to be determined. Carper asked representatives of the KRT and the ambulance authority to decide if they want to ask voters for an increase in funding. The levy needs a 60 percent majority to pass, Carper said.
Reach Lori Kersey at lori.kersey@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1240 or follow @LoriKerseyWV on Twitter.