The Columbia Board of Aldermen and Mayor Justin McKenzie met with members of Dungan Engineering April 29 to discuss ideas and goals for the construction of a SportsPlex. The board formally approved hiring the firm at the April 20 meeting.
Jeff Dungan with Dungan Engineering requested the meeting to gather information and ideas on what the aldermen have in mind for the facility. Dungan asked several questions to each of the aldermen to get an idea of what they hope to see when the facility first opens and in the future. He said the meeting might be the first, but not the last, because right now the first step in the process is to understand what each alderman expects on various aspects of the facility.
The board previously approved the proposed location on R.A. Johnson Drive, which currently is a parcel size of 48 acres.
“We would like to ask questions and for you guys to answer to help us to know what is important,” Dungan said.
Attending the meeting were Aldermen Wendell Hammond, Jason Stringer, Anna Evans and Mike Smith, as well as Mayor Justin McKenzie.
Alderman-at-large Edward Hough was not present at the meeting, and it was later announced that Hough was resigning from his position.
The first question Dungan asked was what was the most important thing about the complex. Evans said she wanted unity of the children to be seen. She further said she would love to see a big enough complex to support the programs available, but not so big that it cannot be properly managed. Hammond said, regardless of the size of the facility, it was important to provide plenty of parking.
Smith said he agreed with Evans about the size, and Stringer said he wanted it to make a great first impression because you only get one chance to wow people, so he wants it to have a wow factor.
McKenzie said it needs to be unique and set apart to attract people.
Dungan then asked the aldermen what the first impression is they want to convey to everyone. Smith said he wanted it to amaze people when they come. Stringer responded that it needs to be practical and user-friendly. Hammond wants to make sure it is something that can be managed, and Evans said it needs to have a lasting impression.
“I think it will impact the growth of Columbia,” Hammond said.
“We want people to talk about Columbia in a good way. This is another opportunity to do that,” Dungan said, in reference to the downtown Christmas celebration.
Regarding which sports should initially be played at the complex most preferred baseball, softball and soccer. Evans mentioned she would like to see tennis, and she said Hough had previously mentioned pickleball. All agreed the biggest draw would be to offer baseball and softball, with soccer being a budding and popular sport.
Dungan said he has spoken with coach Duane Powell at Columbia Academy about offering cross-country. The complex offers a great opportunity to have a cross-country track, he said. Dungan said he believes a course could be built at the facility without costing a lot of money. Stringer said cross-country is something big, and it is something that most schools do not have.
Basketball is something Dungan said they might be able to phase-in sometime in the future.
McKenzie said that will be a challenge facing the Sportsplex is vandalism. He said it was not ideal for the facility to be wide-open because vandalism is already a problem at City Park and other areas not regularly staffed. He said the restrooms at City Park are often vandalized again, immediately after they are repaired.
The biggest concern Evans expressed is the parking and management of the complex. Hammond said his biggest concern has been the timing on when everything is going to start. He said he knows people have been wondering if anything was going to be done regarding the Sportsplex. Stringer said he was concerned about the traffic in the area while when the facility in use, and regarding who will be responsible for managing it.
“The facility will only be as good as the person managing it,” Stringer said.
Management and maintenance of the facility were also concerns shared by Smith.
“You have every opportunity to retain, hire and use people, but I am going to tell you this, we all live here. We are going to wear this with you all, and by knowing your concerns, you can rest assured those are also our concerns,” Dungan said.
All of the aldermen agreed that the local leagues should be first and have full consideration and focus ahead of travel ball or any other leagues.
“You got to take care of home first,” Evans said.
On the issue of traffic concerns, the entire board agreed that pedestrian traffic, as well as the car traffic flow both in and out of the facility, were their biggest concerns.
“We have to design the place to be safe,” Dungan said.
Dungan said he felt like it was a great meeting, and he and his team can take everything under consideration as they continue to prepare the initial report for the board. By learning the board’s concerns and priorities, he said it would help determine his company's direction.
Dungan said they would meet with different local sports officials to discuss designs and details before reporting back to the board within the next 60 days.
