From Hosston Mayor Kim Jaynes.
After the meeting, Commissioner Chris Kracman asked me to identify my top concerns regarding the proposed Caddo Parish Sports Complex. My response was simple: location, cost and priorities, and ongoing maintenance. At the time, I understood that he was gathering input for an article discussing the proposed complex and did not realize my brief response would be included as a direct quote. I certainly do not have an issue with my comments being shared; I simply would have provided more explanation had I known. I appreciate Commissioner Kracman reaching out and giving us the opportunity to share our concerns, and I would like to expand on why these three issues are important to me.
1. Location and Accessibility for North Caddo Parish
My first concern is location. While I understand that a final location has not been selected, the location being discussed along the I-20 corridor raises serious concerns for me about accessibility for the residents of northern Caddo Parish.
If this is truly going to be a Caddo Parish facility, I believe we have to consider whether residents throughout the entire parish will realistically be able to use it—not simply whether they technically have access to it.
Many parents in northern Caddo Parish already commute to Shreveport for work. If their children have practices, games, tournaments, or other activities at this complex, those parents could potentially have to travel back north to pick up their children and then turn around and drive back toward Shreveport. That creates additional time, fuel costs, and transportation burdens for families.
We were also told that Caddo Parish schools could utilize the complex. My concern is that simply making a facility available does not necessarily make it accessible. Schools already face transportation expenses for extracurricular activities and athletic trips. When school funds are not available to cover those expenses, those costs can ultimately fall on teams, students, parents, and booster organizations.
Before we call this a parish-wide benefit, I believe we should ask how children in Vivian, Hosston, Oil City, Ida, Rodessa, and the rest of northern Caddo Parish will realistically access and benefit from it.
2. Cost and Priorities
My concern is not simply that $60 million is a large amount of money. My concern is whether committing that amount of public funding to one major facility is the best priority for Caddo Parish.
The proposition asks voters to authorize up to $60 million in bonds. We have been told that this would not create a new tax or increase the current millage rate. I understand that. But the fact that it is not a new tax does not mean we should not carefully consider how public resources are being used.
I believe the larger question should be: What could these resources accomplish for the entire parish?
Caddo Parish includes much more than Shreveport. We have communities throughout the parish with infrastructure needs, recreational needs, blighted properties, aging facilities, drainage concerns, public safety needs, and other quality-of-life issues.
I am also concerned about the effect a large, taxpayer-supported complex could have on smaller existing facilities and organizations that already provide recreational and sporting opportunities. Before creating a major new facility, I believe we should understand what happens to those existing facilities if events and participants are pulled away from them. We should not create one new asset while contributing to other facilities becoming underused or abandoned.
This is ultimately a question of priorities for me: Is this the best use of these resources, and will the benefits truly reach the entire parish?
3. Ongoing Maintenance and Operations
Building the facility is only the beginning. My third major concern is what happens after it is built.
At the meeting, the long-term operation and maintenance of the complex were discussed, including the possibility of using a third-party operator rather than Parish employees. That immediately raises additional questions for me.
Who will be responsible for maintaining the facility? What standards will they be required to meet? What will the annual operating cost be? What happens if revenues do not meet projections? Who covers unexpected repairs, rising insurance costs, utilities, equipment replacement, and other expenses over the life of the facility?
If outsourcing is chosen because employing Parish workers and providing salaries and benefits would be more expensive, I also want to know what safeguards will be in place to ensure that reducing labor costs does not reduce the quality of maintenance, staffing, or services.
A $60 million investment should not be judged only by whether we can afford to build it. We also have to determine whether we can responsibly operate and maintain it for decades.
An Additional Concern: Public Safety
Although I originally gave Commissioner Kracman only my top three concerns, public safety is another issue that deserves consideration.
The possibility of eventually establishing a law-enforcement substation at or near the complex was discussed. My concern is where the additional personnel would come from.
Northern Caddo Parish already experiences situations where residents must wait for deputies to respond because officers may be covering large geographic areas. I would not want an additional facility to place further demands on already limited law-enforcement resources or pull resources away from rural communities.
If a West Shreveport location is ultimately selected, I also believe the Parish should provide a clear public-safety plan for families attending evening and nighttime events. That plan should explain anticipated staffing needs, where those officers will come from, and what impact—if any—that would have on law-enforcement coverage elsewhere in the parish.
Where I Stand
I am not opposed to recreation, youth sports, economic development, or investing in Caddo Parish. My concerns are about location, accessibility, priorities, long-term financial responsibility, and whether the entire parish will meaningfully benefit from such a significant investment.
We have been told that the complex itself is contingent on voter approval of the bond proposition and that the exact location has not been finalized. Those are precisely the reasons I believe these questions need to be answered now, before voters make their decision.
If the proposition is not approved, I also believe there should be a broader public discussion about the existing 1.50-mill levy and the Parish's future capital priorities. Rather than assuming what should happen next, I would like to know what options are legally available and how those resources could potentially address needs throughout Caddo Parish.
For me, the question is not simply, “Would a sports complex be nice to have?”
The question is: Is this the right location, the right priority, and a sustainable investment that provides meaningful benefits to taxpayers and families throughout all of Caddo Parish?
