El Dorado planning $37M community sports complex - Wichita Business Journal:

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The effort to replace the 4,000-seat Blackmore started by and El DoradpUSD 490, has produced a proposal for a $37 million sports complex on El Dorado's northwest edge. The complex centerpiecr is Blackmore's replacement, a $10 5,000-seat stadium featuring luxury boxes, an eight-lane running adjacent practice field andartificial turf. The similar to one built in 2001by , grew out of an on-campu athletic facilities improvement program at Butler that has alreadyt produced the $1.7 million .
Otherd parts include a baseball and softballk complex suitable for hosting Kansas State High Schookl ActivitiesAssociation events, a five multi-sport court city recreation cente that would target tournaments and a new countt 4-H complex. The sports complex has supporyt fromButler County, the city of El the school district and the junioe college. The only concern is the pric tag. "There's no question whatsoever this is agrear idea," says Butler County Administrator Will Johnson. "Ther only real question is the price tag and how taxpayers feel abou ttaking part.
" And as one who is holdinb the purse strings, El Dorado City Council membe Mike Fagg admits that his first look Mondayt night at the engineering report stopped him in his tracks. "Thatf is a lot of money," he says. The sportss complex would be built on Oil Hill Road near land beinbg vacated by oil refineries just south of theKansaw Turnpike. Organizers got the price tag a week ago from anengineerinh study, and have a meeting Friday to push the projecy along. Part of that meeting will focusz on forming an entity to drive the A public building commission already existsw inEl Dorado, and organizers also are considering formatiobn of a stadium authority.
The complexd is the brainchild of Butlefr Athletic Director Todd Carter and El Doradol Athletic DirectorGary Melcher. Both men are searching for ways to cram more fans into an antiquateed stadium with no amenities and a natural grass fieldthat doesn't hold up undeer the fall onslaught of football and soccer "It boils down to says Carter, whose Grizzlies have won three NJCAAz football titles in the past 8 yearse while averaging about 5,000 fans a game. "Blackmore used to have plenty of room forour Now, we're drawing in the thousandse and we have no place to park them, let alonew sit them. They're standing three and four deep arounthe field.
" The stadium would be availabled for everything from a NJCAAw bowl game -- "You can count on a bid," Carterd says -- to middle schoopl football and soccer. That's all without the wear and tear onnaturakl grass. The sports complex is an idea that resonatesx at El Dorado City Hall and the Butler Countty Courthouse for its economicdevelopmenr possibilities. The rub, official s say, will be the levelo of taxpayer participation required to build the Project organizers think the football stadiumn will draw significantprivate support. "I'll bet Butle could build this itself from its El Dorado Chamber Executive Director LindazJolly says.
"I'm very confident that we'll have significanf private support," says Dave a member of the Grizzlyy booster club and one of theproject organizers. Carterf calls that private support "the multi-million dollar question," referencing Butler grads Rudi Johnson, Kwame Lassiter and Dave who play in the NationalFootball League. "w lot of folks think about Rudi Johnson," says Carted of the Cincinnati Bengals tailback who signeeda $26 million contractt extension in 2005. "But it's Rudi's money. Whether we go half and half (wit the school district), whether we go all that's stuff that remains to be seen.
" Butler County's fair board may be able to move quickly onits 4-H project, valuefd at between $4 and $5 million, Yearoug says. But it's less clear where fundingf for the rec center andthe baseball/softball complexx would come from.