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Bay County RESTORE Act Direct Component Proposals 2014-2015 1 Proj # Bay PRP 2014 - 008 Project Name Panama City Beach Sports Village - Phase 1: The Sporting Grounds (Rectangular Athletic Fields) Project Proposer, affiliation, web site Dan Rowe Bay County Tourist Development Council www.visitpanamacitybeach.com Project Description The Sporting Grounds will expand existing athletic facilities by adding eight rectangular fields large enough to accommodate regulation-sized soccer fields. One field will be upgraded to a Championship Field with expanded seating and other amenities suitable for tournament championships and other marquee games. This is a stand-alone phase of the larger Panama City Beach Sports Village Project. Proj. Size (acres) 60 Economic New fields will expand sporting event play outside PCB's peak season by attracting thirty (30) non-summer events such as soccer, lacrosse, rugby and other showcase events. New opportunities to increase year-round occupancy will yield a total incremental economic impact of $14.2 million annually. Environmental Social Recreation-related capital projects will not only enhance the visitor experience; they will foster a healthy/active lifestyle among local residents. Expanded facilities for non- baseball/softball events will increase visitation beyond Panama City Beach's traditional tourist season. Other Sports-related tourism is seen as a major growth opportunity by other destinations which have begun to aggressively develop and market new venues. Expansion of Panama City Beach's existing facilities will allow the destination to maintain its market share and reputation as "the place to play." Project Location The Bay County Tourist Development Council is exploring several potential sites within the greater Panama City Beach area) west of the Hathaway Bridge, south of the B.V. Buchanan Bridge and east of Phillips Inlet). Est total project cost $6,400,000 Amount requested $2,000,000 Describe what funds will be used for Funds will be used to construct one artificial turf field and seven grass fields, along with appropriate support infrastructure: seating, press box, restrooms, concession area, interior roadways and parking facilities. One of the fields will be developed as a "Championship" field. Long term funding needed? Source? Availability? Funding for capital improvements will come from monies held in reserve by the Bay County Tourist Development Council (TDC), state-level grants and corporate sponsorship. Est yrs completion 0-2 Matching $ available? Yes Match source? Secured? Matching funds are available through the Bay County Tourist Development Council and potential grants from the State of Florida and national sports organizations. No matching funds have been requested or secured. Amount match secured $0 % proj cost from match 68.8 ---PAGE BREAK--- Bay County RESTORE Act Direct Component Proposals 2014-2015 2 Partners anticipated? Yes Partner names Bay County, City of Panama City Beach, private sector Funds request other source? If yes, name source, decision date Proj fully funded by other source? FULL PROPOSAL FORM Project number (proposal) Bay PRP 2014-008 Submittal date proposal 2/6/2015 Project name (proposal) Panama City Beach Sports Village - Phase 1: The Sporting Grounds (Rectangular Athletic Fields) Applicant name Dan Rowe, Executive Director, Bay County Tourist Development Council Project description (proposal) The Sporting Grounds will expand existing athletic facilities by adding eight rectangular fields large enough to accommodate regulation-sized soccer fields. One field will be upgraded to a Championship Field with expanded seating and other amenities suitable for tournament championships and other marquee games. This is a stand-alone component of a three-phase Panama City Beach Sports Village Project planned by the Bay County Tourist Development Council (TDC). Project location description The Bay County Tourist Development Council is exploring several potential sites within the greater Panama City Beach area (west of the Hathaway Bridge, south of the B.V. Buchanan Bridge and east of Phillips Inlet). 1. Restore nat res N/A 2. Mitigate N/A 3. Implement plan N/A 4. Workforce/Jobs Rectangular athletic fields are projected to generate 50,185 incremental visitors to Panama City Beach by the third year of utilization. Based on research conducted by VISIT FLORIDA, the state's tourism marketing agency, one full-time equivalent (FTE) employee is created for each 85 visitors. According to the Haas Center at the University of West Florida, the average earnings per tourism industry job in Bay County is $26,970. Therefore, this project will create 590 new jobs over the three year period with a total payroll of $15.9 million. 5. Improve state park N/A 6. Infrastructure Sports-related tourism is seen as a major growth opportunity by other destinations which have begun to aggressively develop and market new venues. Without expanding facilities, Bay County faces the real possibility of losing existing events to other communities. Expansion of Panama City Beach's existing infrastructure will enhance the visitor experience and allow the destination to maintain its market share and reputation as "the place to play." 7. Flood protect N/A 8. Planning N/A ---PAGE BREAK--- Bay County RESTORE Act Direct Component Proposals 2014-2015 3 9. Promote tourism Additional fields will open new markets and expand sporting event play outside Panama City Beach's traditional tourist season. New non-summer events will have a positive impact on the local economy by increasing occupancy rates, promoting service sector job growth and generating tax revenue during non-peak periods. 10. Promote seafood N/A 1.1 Diversify Due to the tremendous growth of Panama City Beach's share of the sports tourism market, there now exists a shortage of sports-specific, tournament quality rectangular athletic fields. New fields will remedy the situation and expand sporting event play outside PCB's peak season by attracting non-summer events such as soccer, lacrosse, rugby and other showcase events. New facilities will help increase year-round occupancy and create demand for additional jobs in the hospitality and service industries. The annual incremental economic impact (by Year 3) is estimated at $14.2 million. 1.2 Infrastruc N/A 1.3 Airport Participants in rectangular field sports generally represent higher socioeconomic groups than those of other sports. In addition, play is geographically focused in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the country. As teams begin to travel longer distances to utilize Panama City Beach facilities, passenger traffic through Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport will inevitably increase. 1.4 Job train N/A 1.5 Workforce dev N/A 1.6 Facil tourism/econ dev Funds will be used to construct one artificial turf field and seven grass fields, along with appropriate support infrastructure: seating, press box, restrooms, concession area, interior roadways and parking facilities. One of the fields will be developed as a "Championship" field. 1.7 Rec, transport, wage Recreation-related capital projects will not only enhance the visitor experience; they will foster a healthy/active lifestyle among local residents. Expanded facilities for non- baseball/softball events will increase visitation beyond Panama City Beach's traditional tourist season. 1.8 Protect nat res N/A 1.9 Promote fishing N/A 1.10 Commun resil N/A 2.1 Protect SAB N/A 2.2 Improv wtr qual N/A 2.3 Protect seagrass N/A 2.4 Wildl hab N/A 2.5 Acq lands N/A 2.6 Preserve dunes, shore N/A 2.7 Protected spp N/A 2.8 Water data N/A 3.1 Deer Pt Lk wtr qual N/A 3.2 Stabil roads N/A 3.3 Sewer AWT N/A ---PAGE BREAK--- Bay County RESTORE Act Direct Component Proposals 2014-2015 4 3.4 Septic to central N/A 3.5 N/A 3.6 LID N/A 3.7 Coast resil N/A 3.8 Support port N/A Budget justification The TDC has implemented a strategy to deploy resources on capital projects that assist the agency in achieving its strategic initiatives. Currently, the TDC has approximately $10 million on hand for the purpose of investing in sports facilities or similar strategic projects. Capital held in reserve by the TDC will fund the majority (68%) of the total cost of the project. Ongoing costs The cost to maintain eight rectangular athletic fields (utilities, irrigation, fertilization, etc.) is estimated at $350,000 annually. The cost will be funded through facility usage fees with potential support from the TDC to cover operational deficits. Objective and measures The project will contribute to the growth and development of Panama City Beach as a tourist destination. Metrics to determine its success include facility usage rates, tournament/event participation, sales tax collections and Tourist Development Tax collections. Nat Res Proj Best Avail Science N/A Env issues N/A Econ Dev proj? Yes Econ Dev description New fields will expand sporting event play outside Panama City Beach's peak season by attracting non-summer events such as soccer, lacrosse, rugby and other showcase events. By the third year of operation, as many as thirty (30) new events utilizing the facility will generate more than 50,000 new visitors (93% outside of peak season) and yield a total incremental economic impact of $14.2 million annually. Job Creation? Yes Describe how jobs created Increased demand for Panama City Beach sports facilities will yield incremental visitation and require expansion of the workforce to serve visitors' needs. Jobs will be created in the hospitality, service, management and general labor sectors. In addition, construction of the facility will generate employment in the building industry. No. jobs created 590 No. jobs created Yr 1 236 No. jobs created Yr 2 354 No. jobs created Yr 3 590 Avg wage $26,970 Total proj cost $6,400,000 ---PAGE BREAK--- Bay County RESTORE Act Direct Component Proposals 2014-2015 5 Complement. proj descr. New rectangular athletic fields represent one component of a three-phase plan to develop a Panama City Beach Sports Village. The project will incorporate a number of public venues that have been articulated in the Bay County Tourist Development Council’s strategic plan and market studies. Included in the Sports Village plans are a multifaceted Special Event Center featuring an Arena (80,000 square foot facility for multi-court tournaments, concerts, exhibitions and trade shows) and Fieldhouse (40,000 square foot of court space to accommodate full-size multipurpose and support facilities). Co-located with the Fieldhouse will be the Center for Health & Performance, a 25,000 square foot facility dedicated to wellness, human performance and sports medicine. Co-located with the Arena will be the Center for Education & Learning featuring classroom, conference, culinary and laboratory space. Other components of the Sports Village include the Sporting Grounds (athletic fields for soccer, lacrosse, rugby, softball and baseball) and West Bay Rowing Center with a boat ramp and canoe/kayak launch. Non-RESTORE Act funding for capital improvements will come from monies held in reserve by the TDC, state-level grants and corporate sponsorship. Matching funds are available through the Bay County Tourist Development Council and potential grants from the State of Florida and national sports organizations. Proj readiness descr At the TDC board meeting on February 25, 2015, the planning process will reach a major milestone when directors award a Master Services Agreement to a qualified architectural planning and design firm with experience and expertise in sports facilities. It is anticipated that the TDC will be in a position to acquire land and start construction when the Bay County Commission makes its final selection of RESTORE Act grant recipients. Permits required? Yes Permits status Standard construction permitting will be required for this project. To date, no permit applications have been filed. Land acq? Acquire fee simple? Acquire easement? Fee and easement descri N/A Terms of easement N/A Entity to hold title N/A Easement acres Fee simple acres Appraisal avail? Appraised value Title opinon avail? Material risks Material risks include changes in market conditions that contribute to the project's failure to achieve its projected level of utilization. The risk of under-performance will be mitigated by showcasing the new facility in the TDC's overall sports marketing program. Through its marketing efforts, the TDC has been successful in generating more than $75 million in annual visitor spending related to sports tournaments. ---PAGE BREAK--- Bay County RESTORE Act Direct Component Proposals 2014-2015 6 Likelihood of success Based on market studies conducted in 2008 and 2013, the TDC has determined that the construction of additional sports facilities is critically important to the growth and development of Panama City Beach as a tourist destination. The continued growth of sporting events (annual economic impact now exceeds $75 million) has strained capacities of sports complexes in Bay County, creating a situation in which existing facilities are over- used and not available to meet market demands. Some events could start looking for a change of venue due to lack of facilities. On the other hand, several sanctioning bodies have indicated they will grow their existing events or relocate events now held in other markets if Panama City Beach's facilities are expanded. Based on these and other factors, the likelihood this project will accomplish its main purpose is near certain. Contract out work? Yes Contracting strategy The TDC board will award a Master Services Agreement to a qualified firm with sports oriented, specialized expertise in the disciplines of needs and market analysis for sports facilities, planning, evaluation, preliminary design, programming and operation of varied but operationally related sports activities and facilities, the architectural and engineering design and technical specification of sports facilities, and the financing of sports facilities though private and public investment and sponsorships including the policy implications and practical issues of those financing techniques. Performance indicators and standards, as well as arrangements for monitoring and assessment, will be set out and agreed in the contract, along with action that would result from underperformance. The TDC will: 1) ensure that all those involved in the project have the skills, knowledge and experience commensurate with the nature, risk and size of the project; 2) ensure parties understand the background, context and objectives of the contract to increase the likelihood of achieving the desired outcome; 3) assess contractor performance and provide feedback throughout the life of the contract; 4) apply any relevant contract provisions where the contractor performance requires it; 5) link payments to contractor performance and make payments strictly in accordance with contract provisions; and, 6) negotiate contract variations to respond to changing circumstances. Applic manage proj? L 1. Proposed mgr N/A L 2. Mgr agreed? L 3.Mgr experience N/A L 4. Post proj maint N/A L 5. Mgmt approach Management of the facility depends on the final ownership structure (Bay County, City of Panama City Beach or Panama City Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau). Under CVB ownership, consideration will be given to contracting with a private sector management company to operate the facility. ---PAGE BREAK--- Bay County RESTORE Act Direct Component Proposals 2014-2015 7 Outreach descr The TDC will be responsible for promoting the facility through its ongoing sports marketing program. Efforts will include advertising of the facility to existing rights holders and sanctioning organizations that have expressed interest in Panama City Beach if facilities are expanded. Ongoing activities will also include networking with sports organizations at industry-specific trade shows and conferences.