BILLINGS - Part of the plan for the Amend Recreation Campus would be to build a second artificial turf soccer field right next to the existing field and use some of those light posts up there for part of the lighting.
The cost of that field would be about $1.8 million. And the cost of the Amend Park Sport Court Facility is around $21 million.
"We’ll build four courts that convert to eight," said Dick Zier, a consultant to the South Billings Urban Renewal District.
As a former travel team basketball coach, Zier knows the struggles of finding those kinds of facilities.
“It was very difficult to find practice time and I know that other teams are having the same problem whether it's basketball, wrestling, whatever it is,” Zier said.
This new plan has the $23 million total coming out of the South Billings Urban Renewal District tax increment finance money.
Zier, former president of the South Billings Urban Renewal Association, likes that the estimated costs is far less than the $143 million bond issue presented to voters last year.
At the city council work session on Tuesday, one citizen questioned if the proposal is too scaled down.
“Forgo soccer for now,” Kevin Nelson said during public comment. “You can always build a soccer field. But take the money and put it into the facility for now. Let's get the best facility we can."
The council would have to approve the $23 million of tax increment financing that would go toward the proposed project.
“We do this in phases as we can afford it,” said Councilman Scott Aspenlieder. “And we bring private partners to the table in these private-public partnerships. And that is really truly the way that we can afford it and it's a Billings solution.”
Aspenlieder said the council approved seeking requests for proposals on leasing the ice rink pad and a design team for the facility.
"So big benefit to the south side," Aspenlieder said. I think we took some great steps for the city."
And while this plan does not include a swimming pool or an ice rink, that could be built in the future with private money.
“Hockey, Signal Peak Mine has come up with $6 million and they are going to raise the additional money to do the two sheets of ice," Zier said.
“So maybe down the road, maybe some private dollars would come through that would be interested in constructing a pool,” said Mike Pigg, city of Billings Parks & Recreation director.
Pigg says his department would manage the facility.
“Because it has the ability to hold tournaments and traveling teams and things like that, it can actually make money,” Pigg said. “Should cover most of the operating costs.”
Pigg and Zier say this would give Billings a recreational hub and a draw from all over the region.
“Look at the tournaments that we hold soccer-wise down there (at Amend Park),” Pigg said. “They get huge crowds. I think we can do the same thing with this facility.”
“We believe in this project,” Zier said.
