Part 2 of 2 Original story: https://websterparishjournal.com/2024/12/13/part-1-of-2-rec-complex-may-see-changes/
By Bonnie Culverhouse
While there is no way to predict the final numbers at this point, estimated cost to renovate and add to Minden’s Recreation Complex hovers around $15 million, Synergy Sport executive Jason Boudrie told citizens and councilpersons in a workshop last week.
When looking at funding, Boudrie said there are typically four ways to fund a large project: issue bonds, dip into a capital improvement budget, use a private developer or public private partnership/municipal lease – the last being Synergy’s preference of the four choices.
“Through this public/private partnership, it essentially says the public side (City of Minden) brings to the process certain things, such as land, the fields, the complex that’s already there,” he said. “Then the private side brings capital. Therein lies the partnership.”
Boudrie said Synergy has this set-up with between two and three dozen projects around the country.
“If we find the project is viable, we are willing to bring the capital to fund it and to bring the operating relationships.
The city would provide a municipal lease.
“We bring the capital, we renovate the fields, then we’re going to turn that improvement at $15 million into a lease expense to the city,” Boudrie said. “The city consents to support the project with annual appropriations, and the project should cover its own expenses and return dollars to the city.”
Boudrie said Synergy would use local contractors and builders “as long as they have the expertise and experience. We fund it; the city leases it back. It is operated by an external operator. All the revenue from the facility goes back to the city, and so the city gets control, the impact, tax revenue.”
But the complex will also bring in tournaments and tourism and those equate to a positive economic impact on Minden.
“There has to be a reason for a hotel,” Boudrie said. “There are very few things outside of building an amusement park or a water park that’s going to bring in more visitors and more economic impact than sports.”
Boudrie believes it could mean three to four hotels on Industrial Drive (service road).
“Then we will see coffee shops, restaurants, sporting goods stores and other developments,” he said. “When you have a couple hundred thousand people coming into Minden and staying in the region, that’s more money coming into Minden and being invested into local businesses.”
Local hotel owner and businessman Jay Kumar questioned Boudrie about calculation of visitors and hotel room nights. (See photo below.)
Numbers of fields, major tournaments and percentage of tournament capacities that would stay at a hotel all come into play when determining a visitor number.
Boudrie said Synergy Sports compared several cities similar to Minden where they are currently partnering in projects.
Factoring other cities and data, the number of fields and potential tourists – and using a tourism focus rather than a community-oriented facility focus – Synergy determined that out of a 52-week year, there could be 35 to 40 weekends out of a year “that there could be some sort of tournament or event that’s going to be happening here on a weekend,” Boudrie said. “You’ll lose a couple of weekends for Christmas and New Year’s, but by and large, you’re going to get between 70 and 80 percent utilization out of these,” Boudrie said.
Boudrie said Synergy has a relationship with all the major organizing companies, so Minden’s recreation employees would not be expected to organize the tournaments. Local persons would be hired to work them.
