Following a public hearing on Tuesday in which all those who spoke were in favor, the Garden City, Kan., Commission approved an ordinance adopting the Sports of the World project plan for the STAR Bond Development District, as well as the type of financing that will be used to develop it.
During the public hearing, which was scheduled during the City Commission meeting, several members of the Garden City inline men's and women's hockey teams said they were for the project, which would include potentially bringing several event arenas to Garden City, including an ice arena, several sports field, a food plaza, a fieldhouse and a jump park. The facility would be located east of Heritage Inn Hotel and Parrot Cove Indoor Waterpark at 900 Lareu Road.
Shannon Dick, who spoke on behalf of the hockey teams, said there is a need for hockey facilities because more people of all ages in southwest Kansas are showing interest in the sport.
"They've had a taste of it, and they want more," Dick said, adding that he has spoken to other hockey organizations from other states, and they have said they want to come to Garden City to play.
"This project in whole — not just the hockey — this whole project with the volleyball and basketball and aquatics, it will make us the tournament capital of southwest Kansas," Dick added. "And we are in such a good location to take advantage of that."
Menesis Steve Navarro, who is also involved with the local hockey team and originally from New York City, said he was also in support of the project.
"I would love to see an opportunity for other folks interested in these activities to come into the community," he said. "Coming from New York, we had all that. Denver has all that. This is what drives big city folks like myself to come to Garden City and make it a home. I love Garden City for the fact that it feels like a small town, but what I quickly realized is there's more to it .... Not only will (the project) provide a better quality of life, but the economic impact that is involved will be amazing, just from the outside looking in."
Dodge City resident Alan Stukenholtz, who is also the president of Dodge City's High Plains Youth Hockey, commended the Commission and Garden City for its efforts in development and also in support of the project plan.
Stukenholtz said Dodge City's hockey program is limited on its days it can use its ice rink at United Wireless Arena because of its logistics and multi-uses, such as for concerts and basketball tournaments.
"I really want you to put this apart from what we have because what we have isn't the same thing. The struggles we have in Dodge are not going to be the struggles of a full-time facility," he said.
Garden City High School seniors Marc Martinez and Christian Solis also addressed the commissioners during the public hearing about their thoughts on the project plan coming to life as part of a class project on advocacy.
"I hope the facility lives up to its name," Solis said, referencing the 'Sports of the World" concept.
Solis said he thinks the facility would decrease Garden City's crime rate.
"When I search for attractions in Garden City online, I hope this is the first to pop up," he said.
Martinez said he think the facility would make Garden City "more than a hotel pit stop" for people traveling to Denver or Wichita.
During the public hearing, no one spoke out opposing the plan. Commissioners approved the project plan unanimously, with no discussion, though during the commissioner reports, Commissioner Dan Fankhauser said the approved STAR Bond project will be one of the biggest done in quite some time.
"It's got a lot of potential," he said.
Since the ordinance was approved by the City Commission, it will be submitted to the Kansas Department of Commerce for final approval.
During the hearing, Lona DuVall, president of the Finney County Economic Development Corp., said she has served in the capacity of interim developer of the STAR Bond project since late 2016, when it became apparent that the Sporting KC project was no longer viable.
DuVall said the FCEDC Board of Directors prepared a letter for the Commission in support of the project plan.
The letter states that subsequent to the preparation of the project plan and calling of the public hearing, city and FCEDC staff entered into discussions with GC Investments, Inc., and its principals Cecil O'Brate and Amro Samy, to assume the role of the private developer of the project.
Evan Fitts, of Polisnelli Law, who is representing GC Investments, said it is a newly created entity.
Fitts said the current proposed first phase of the project is conceptual at this point, but what developers will focus on is soccer, basketball, aquatics, a conference center, a jump park attraction, as well as support facilities like concessions and locker rooms.
After completion of the first phase, 25 acres would remain in the STAR Bond district to be used for other aspects of the overall project plan, Fitts said.
"I know a primary goal of the community is ice skating development, so that's one key priority of that future ground. We are trying to work with the city to bring that to fruition," he said. "There's a lot of things you can do over there, but we have to see what the future holds, but the key from our perspective is we want to have something that has an incredibly strong phase, that cements this project as a success and starts bringing people into the city."
Fitts said the plan for the project moving forward is to work with the city to finalize the collective vision and obligations for each party in the development agreement.
Since approved by the City Commission, a decision on the bond sale is needed. The STAR Bond Act allows the issuance of general obligation or special obligation bonds. SO bonds would be paid only with the sales tax revenues dedicated to the STAR bond project.
Commissioners also approved doing a private placement sale rather than a public bond, per the recommendation of the city's financial advisor, because the type of investor is such that bonds are typically not the normal buyers encountered with a General Obligation issue, according to city documents.
One advantage that the city and developers have with this particular project is that when the STAR Bond district was created, it was during a time when there wasn't a lot of sales tax being generated in the district, but now there is, Fitts said.
The STAR Bond district boundaries cover about 312 acres from Tangeman Sports Complex northeast to Schulman Crossing, and undeveloped land from the shopping center east to Jennie Barker Road.
"We have actual numbers that we can use when we're trying to go out and size the bonds, that's incredibly helpful," Fitts said. "It's (the bonds for the project) structured in a way that if there is ever a shortfall, it will not come back on the city."
