For those who live in or spend a good amount of time in Crown Point, you know that big changes are happening in the city, namely on 109th Avenue.
A 95-acre athletic campus is being built, the Crown Point Sportsplex, and it will provide tons of opportunities for not only the City of Crown Point, but for amateur sports teams, youth sports teams and clubs, businesses, and enthusiasts all over the country.
The project is the brainchild of Mayor David Uran. In 2008, the newly elected mayor saw the allotted space as a perfect opportunity. With the help of the recent sale of vacant property and the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation, a large project began that when finished will be benefiting Crown Point for decades to come.
“The Foundation matched us dollar for dollar as the sports complex continued to grow,” Mayor Uran said. “This has been one of my visions since I took office; to make this an economic engine. It really benefits everybody whether you play sports or not. It has the direct benefit if you do play and indirectly jobs are created, tourism is boosted, it improves home values; Overall it’s positive for Crown Point.”
The project is coming to fruition in five phases. The first phase brought in two new football fields. Synthetic turf is used that is NFL grade, and these new spaces allow for not only football but also soccer, lacrosse, and rugby for longer spans of time throughout the year.
Parking is now much more streamlined with new parking lots throughout the complex. Pervious asphalt is lain in the complex, reducing water retention significantly. This means that water may fall, but it won’t stand in the fields and in the parking lots. It will instead seep into the asphalt and drain out into the lateral ditch line on both sides of the complex. The City of Crown Point won multiple awards for the smart usage of this asphalt.
“The city owns all of the parking in the complex, and it’s important that we take care of that because we have a lot of public and private partnerships here that need to be taken care of,” Mayor Uran said.
Phase two began with Bulldog Boulevard. The intersection that connects the complex to 109th Ave was redone to reduce congestion. It can get quite busy on a well-traversed street like 109th. Add in scads of people trying to get into or out of a football game at the complex and could prove to be a tricky situation… had no improvements been made.
“The intersection runs well and it’s well-timed," Mayor Uran said. “Eventually Bulldog Boulevard will run all the way through the complex and connect to 113th Street.”
Softball fields were added. Legacy Fields, as the group of softball fields is called, are well-constructed and surrounded by attractive brick facades and buildings. These buildings will house concession stands and have available space for private events associated with sports activities. Nine fields in total sit in the complex and all can be used for youth sports; portable fences make this possible. Five of these fields can be used for ASA sanctioned adult softball.
“Each field is irrigated, elevated so water drains out to our water tower,” Mayor Uran said. "Our water tower has a beacon on it so you can see it from I65. This makes the complex easier to find.”
One of the many upsides of this complex is that no additional tax dollars were added to the residential homeowners to pay for it. It is bringing in more and more revenue as time passes, which goes into a non-reverting fund, with tournaments and games being played there which allows for more jobs to be created. Basically, the complex is paying for itself.
“We’re doing this through the redevelopment commission and some of the property is privately owned by other businesses,” Mayor Uran said. “This is a tif district so we get increments of the taxes here. We use that money to continue maintenance, done by the Crown Point Parks Department, and advertisement of the complex.”
More parking lots and walkways will be added as time goes by to accommodate the growing amount of people who will frequent the complex. Private out-lots will be available so that more businesses can be part it. An interesting fact: any and all businesses that come into the complex must be sports-related. Sports medicine, athletic apparel and equipment, physical fitness, sports agents, etc.
“This project has taken on a life of its own,” Mayor Uran said. “We may do more phases in the future. It depends on what the community wants… We looked at so many different complexes and around the country and took the things that worked, put them in here, and didn’t touch the things that didn’t work.”
Phase three dealt more with softball fields. Early on, there were fields that the community could play on, but they were not well-funded. People of the community did the best that they could with the time and money available to them, but now new fields with proper irrigation, lighting, seating, and markings sit in their places. Backstops were also reversed so that residential homes around the complex wouldn’t be disturbed.
Phase four, which is currently in progress, is adding private businesses to the complex. The first to come in was Homann Karate DO Inc. It was located in another part of the city and moved to the sports complex. Homann Karate owns the footprint and the city owns the property around the building. This will be the same with all of the businesses that take up residence at the complex, including the Sparta Dome. The Sparta Dome is a gigantic 120,000 square foot indoor sports facility that is home to a multitude of sporting events, many of which will be played by groups that are part of the Crown Point Youth Sports Commission. Indiana weather will no longer be a problem with the Sparta Dome in place. It’s a neat structure; completely held up via air like a balloon, but unlike a balloon it’s sturdy. It’s temperature controlled and the air pressure is regulated so as the weather changes the dome will be able to accommodate. And no need to worry about deflation. If there is a tear or damage done an electronic alert is sent out to crews who will come and fix it promptly. The Sparta Dome also contains an observation deck and concession stand so spectators can enjoy games in a comfortable setting.
“We can start enjoying winter instead of it being an inconvenience,” Mayor Uran said. “There is special paint that is able to be added and removed so the field can be marked for a soccer game in the morning, then removed and remarked for a football game that night.”
Many people and groups played an integral part in making the complex come to life. The Crown Point Parks Department, The Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation, Development Visions Group, Ozinga Ready Mix Concrete (they were recognized for their innovative use of concrete), Crown Legacy Development LLC, the Crown Point City Council, the Crown Point Board of Public Works and Safety, as well as others.
Phase five will be the addition of outdoor tennis courts and basketball courts that can be converted into an NHL-sized hockey rink, updating a skate park that currently resides in the complex, and possibly an Ultimate Fighting Championship training facility. And when the complex is complete a running path and a bike path will run through the complex and connect to the Veteran’s Memorial Bikeway, the Erie Lackawanna Trail, and other trails.
The fields and facilities in the complex are purposely multifunctional. This way, space can be converted and changed to fit the changing needs of the community and teams. As time goes by, more things might be added or changed in the complex. We can only wait and see as the exciting development forever alters Crown Point’s future for the better.
“We’re doing smart growth,” Mayor Uran said. “We are putting things in the right locations so we can still have a small-town quaintness yet develop. This is an economic engine and the money that is made here will go right back into the community.”
For more information on the Crown Point Sportsplex visit http://www.crownpoint.in.gov/parksweb/ or call (219) 661-2271.