City close to sports complex lease
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on June 28, 2015 1:50 AM
The city is in the process of finalizing a lease agreement for the use of a land to build a multi-sports complex on Oak Forest Road, officials announced this week.
The complex will share property with Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and will be leased by the city from the U.S. Air Force.
The city is expected to officially sign a lease this summer and to finalize the design of the sports complex this fall. Phase I of the construction should be completed by the fall of 2016, officials say.
Initially, the complex will consist of eight full-size multi-sports fields, a parking area, restrooms, walking trails and concession facilities. There will be six natural grass fields and two artificial turf fields, with plans for future expansion up to eight artificial turf fields.
The complex will take up more than 60 acres of land, and the city is responsible for hiring a contractor to complete the project.
City manager Scott Stevens said the design contract was already awarded in the late fall of 2014, but hinged on the city signing the lease with SJAFB.
"We've been shooting for July, but it looks like it might be September now (when we sign the lease)," Stevens said. "It keeps getting pushed back just a little bit. Once the designing of the project begins, it will be a three- to four-month process, and then we will bid out the construction contract in the Spring of 2016. That's an aggressive but doable timeline."
SJAFB will construct a new perimeter fence on the border it shares with the sports complex in an effort to ensure the security of the base.
Staff Sgt. Michael Charles said specifications for the fence will not be finalized until the design phase of the project is complete.
"Proposed tournament events are planned for this facility that will stimulate the economy, encourage new investment and provide recreation, entertainment and shopping options for the citizens of Goldsboro, Wayne County and SJAFB," city officials said in a press release issued earlier this week. "There are very few complexes similar in eastern North Carolina that can provide the quality of playing fields and convenient location that this proposed complex will provide."
Construction of the new sports complex is expected to have substantial impact on the local economy as well. Tournaments played at the facility would generate an estimated $177,000 annually in occupancy tax revenue, which would in turn be used to fund tourism- related activities and some services that could improve life in Goldsboro.
A new 2,500- to 3,000-square-foot addition to the SJAFB fitness center will also be constructed by the city as part of the project. The addition to the fitness center will be one story and the city will be responsible for its completion.
Stevens called the use of land and construction of a fitness center addition a "win-win for both parties," saying the city agreeing to do so makes the contract between the base and the city mutually beneficial.
The addition will be made of a reinforced concrete foundation with painted, load-bearing exterior walls. The estimated cost of this renovation is about $600,000.
Stevens said the new fitness center addition is expected to cost $300,000 to $400,000, and the multi-sports complex will cost about $5.5 million.
Seymour Johnson AFB is one of 16 test bases in the Air Force for this initiative of partnering with the cities on construction projects. They are officially called "P4 initiatives," which refer to agreements to share resources and responsibilities among government and private entities to reach a common goal.
Other participating bases include Altus, Beale, Buckley, Ellsworth, Fairchild, Hill, Joint Base Andrews, Maxwell, Moody, Nellis, Patrick, Peterson, Robins, Sheppard and Tinker.