DETAILS OF SPORTS COMPLEX PLANS SUBMITTED TO CADDO COMMISSION

Caddo Parish paid $58 thousand to Sports Facilities Company for a sport complex plan, a market analysis and economic projections. This package was the basis of the vote to put a $60 million general obligation bond package on the November 3 ballot for Caddo voters.
 
These plans are not final; the proposal for voter approval may have different components.
 
Nonetheless the plans used for the Commission bond package vote—which ballooned from $40 million to $60 million—are important because of the hype this project is generating regarding economic impact and quality of life.
 
The Caddo Administration says that $10 million in naming rights and sponsorship will be needed for the projected $70 million complex, including a 12.5 acre land acquisition on a highly visible site on I-20 or I-49.
 
Here are the details of the indoor athletic facility package presented by the Sports Facilities Company package:
 
1. Capacity for 8 full-size high school regulation basketball courts
2. Capacity for 16 full-size volleyball courts over the basketball courts
3. Capacity for 24 pickleball courts over the basketball courts
4. Ballroom area that  can accommodate weddings, small concerts, graduations, expos, conferences and trade shows
5. Family Entertainment Center
6. Medical Tenant lease space
7. Parking lot for 700 vehicles.
8. Meeting rooms, party rooms, concessions and kitchen.
 
No doubt the final plans for voter approval will change before the early voting in October and already there is discussion of adding artificial turf football fields that can also accommodate lacrosse.
 
Hopefully voters who ask “hard questions” will not be labeled as “aginners” as already tagged by several commission members. These same voters may consider the progress, or lack thereof, of the parish's $10 million pickleball complex in deciding their vote.