Public weighs in on Lexington County sports complex

Civic leaders, elected officials and youth sports coaches touted a proposed $74 million Lexington County multi-sports complex as a game-changer for local tourism while a half-dozen residents and a former state legislator expressed concerns about the public cost.

The Lexington County Council held a public hearing Tuesday, Aug. 11, on a $70 million bond issue to build the 150,000-square-foot facility. Nineteen of the 26 speakers enthusiastically supported the project while seven expressed reservations.

Cayce City Councilman Byron Thomas of District 2 said the sports complex would open doors for Lexington County children and teens involved in competitive travel sports while bringing in more visitors and boosting business.

“We want the best and brightest to come to Lexington County and make impacts in our county because we want the money to stay here, but we also want our kids to stay here as well,” Thomas said. “They can play here and feel that Lexington County has truly invested in their athletic careers.”

Former Sen. Jake Knotts, a Republican who previously represented Lexington County’s Senate District 23, emphasized the burden on taxpayers and said county residents should decide the issue at the ballot box.

“People out there are struggling to survive,” Knotts said. “I’m not against progress … This is a good project, I’m sure it is, but we need to look after the people and put it to a vote of the people.”

The sports complex

Lexington County’s proposed multi-sports complex would span more than 300 acres and include a 150,000-plus-square-foot indoor facility with 12 basketball courts and 24 volleyball courts, explained Randy Gibson, executive director of the Lexington County Recreation & Aging Commission. Gibson gave a brief presentation on the project before public hearing speakers addressed the county council.

“The complex will be an economic driver for Lexington County and the Midlands through sports tourism,” Gibson said. “The facility will be the first in the Midlands. The complex will serve various sports year-round, including baseball, basketball, volleyball, soccer, lacrosse, gymnastics and cheer. The indoor facility will serve female sports that facility-wise have been underserved.”

Adjacent to the indoor facility, Gibson said the sports complex would feature eight astroturf baseball fields with configurations allowing for soccer and lacrosse to be played in the outfields.

Lexington’s proposed sports complex is modeled after LakePoint Sports in Cartersville, Georgia, a sprawling facility near Atlanta’s outer suburbs.

“Of the two similar indoor facilities in the state of South Carolina that are currently operational, one has reported an estimated economic impact of $84 million a year,” Gibson said.

Answering a question from County Councilmember Larry Brigham of District 2, Gibson said residents would pay a millage tax increase of $14.88 per $100,000 in property value.

In his presentation to the council, Gibson read emails in support of the project from Carey Rich, director of player personnel and relations for the University of South Carolina men’s basketball team, and Adam Speight, club director of Rogue Volleyball.

The supporters

Tony Tam, the Greater Cayce-West Columbia Chamber of Commerce’s president and CEO, stressed the project’s potential economic impact.

“When I look at this particular project, I don't just see a sports complex. I see an opportunity to bring people into our community who may not have had a reason to visit us before,” Tam said. “Travel sports has become big business. As we all know, when families come here for a tournament, they're staying in our hotels, having breakfast before games, they're grabbing lunch between games, going out to dinner afterwards, buying gas, shopping.”

Tam said all cities, towns and communities in Lexington County stand to benefit.

“Visitors don't know where Cayce ends and West Columbia begins,” he said. “They don't necessarily know when they've crossed into another part of Lexington County. They simply know that they've had a great weekend in the Midlands. So, when one community succeeds, we all have an opportunity to benefit, and that's what this sports complex can do.”

Bill Shanahan, who owns the Lexington County Blowfish ­— a summer collegiate baseball team in the Coastal Plain League ­— with his wife, Vicki, said he addressed the council “to just show my support for this incredible project.”

“It’s a game-changer,” he said, “and as they say in baseball, this is a home run — I’m gong to go with a grand slam.”

Sue Dillon, head coach of the Lake Murray Volleyball Club, said traveling youth volleyball teams often have to compete for limited court space.

“We cut well over 100 kids every season,” she said. “It breaks our hearts not to be able to have them join us for the sole reason that we don't have enough home space. Having a facility at this size will give us a home for our club and other clubs — and ample space for growth. Volleyball is the No. 1 participatory sport in high school and college for girls, and boys' high school volleyball numbers have exploded since 2020.”

Angelle LaBorde, president and CEO of the Lexington Chamber & Visitors Center, dubbed the project “good for business” and “good for developing small business.”

“This is a smart investment not only for the county but for the Midlands,” LaBorde said, “because when those hotels fill up closer to Columbia, guess where they're coming? They're coming this way. They're going to take up all the hotels, but it's also going to be bringing in hospitality dollars, but it's also accommodation tax dollars.”

The opponents

Lexington resident Marilyn Fonseca said the sports complex wasn’t proposed with adequate public input, noting that members of the body overseeing the project, the Lexington County Recreation & Aging Commission, are appointed and not elected.

“The recreation commission does not, to my knowledge, survey residents to ask what type of facilities they would like,” Fonseca said. “They do not conduct any public town halls about any proposed facilities. In fact, for many residents, the notification of a hearing like this is the first time that they have heard about this proposal.”

Fonseca said the recreation commission can’t maintain its current facilities and could be biting off more than it can chew with a cavernous new sports complex.

“They keep touting the economic benefit of the proposed project. But that is not the commission's mission,” she said.

Fonseca said taxpayers shouldn’t bear the burden for a pet project of appointed officials and civic boosters.

“The tax increase, which is a significant tax increase for a very significantly expensive facility, while residents are struggling to pay for gas for transportation, food bills and cooling for their residences, and eventually heating for their residences, frankly, I think is irresponsible,” she said.

Louise Geddings of Lexington said the county council should be fiscally responsible and avoid burdening taxpayers with a potential boondoggle.

“I'm just a taxpayer, OK? But we already pay taxes for schools, football fields, lacrosse, soccer fields, baseball fields,” Geddings said. “I have grandchildren; they play sports. We don't need this. We don't want this. What if once you start building this, you realize it's going to take more money than you expected. Where's that money coming from?”

Geddings described the $74 million project as a gamble.

“What if it doesn't bring in any revenue? Well, I'm sure it will bring in some, but what if it flops? I'd rather take my money to Vegas and take my chances there than on this,” she said.

If the sports complex is successful, Geddings said, government and business will reap the rewards while Lexington County residents bear the burden of increased urban sprawl.

“If it does work, we're gonna have hundreds more cars on the roads ­— on our potholed roads — every weekend,” she said. “We're gonna have traffic. That's why I was late getting here tonight. It was bumper-to-bumper everywhere.”