Collier Commission OKs $9 million for pools, $2 million for new turf on fields
A new swimming pool and aquatic facility will be coming soon to an East Naples park.
Collier County commissioners on Tuesday approved a $9.2 million contract with DEC Contracting Group to build the pools, which will open in about a year at Eagle Lakes Community Park.
The work will include a new lap pool that could be used for competitions and practices of nearby high school and middle school teams, as well as exercise or therapy classes and open swims.
A separate pool will be open for families and swim lessons, and there will be water slides, as well as a wading pool and splash area for toddlers.
The facilities will cost about $800,000 a year to operate and maintain.
“This gives us something for the kids in East Naples, too,” Commissioner Donna Fiala said.
Related:Collier Commission set to consider spending millions on recreation sites
With LED lights and a design that has been vetted for more than a year, the pool will be a “gem” for Collier, said Phil Brougham, a member of the county’s parks advisory committee.
“This will be a magnet and draw people from all corners to that park,” Broughman said. “Now we just need a master plan for Eagle Lakes and expand the community center, then we're done.”
The pool was one of several multimillion-dollar parks projects commissioners pushed forward.
New turf for soccer fields
Commissioners also voted unanimously to spend $2 million to convert two grass soccer fields in North Naples to artificial turf.
Related:Collier County to push forward plans for sports complex east of Naples
The change to artificial turf wouldn’t save the county much money — several thousand dollars a year in watering and maintenance costs on the two fields. The real benefit, both financially and to the public, would be in the fields’ expanded use, according to a county study.
Real grass takes time to recover; artificial turf does not. With the county struggling to find places for teams to play, by switching two fields at North Collier Regional Park to synthetic grass, it could help the park host more games and tournaments.
The county estimated the two fields would allow North Collier to host three more tournaments a year. That could create 750 more room nights at local hotels and bring an estimated economic impact of $216,300 a year, according to the county study.
If the artificial turf works, the county will continue to switch to it. The county estimated that converting four fields would bring six more tournaments and reap an economic impact of $824,700.
The conversion of all eight fields at North Collier could allow the county to host up to 15 more tournaments a year, with an economic benefit estimated at $4.8 million per year.
The North Collier park hosted 55 tournaments or events that drew out-of-town players last year.
Related:Collier park could get $1.8 million switch to artificial turf to increase use
Sports complex study
Commissioners also approved paying for a $50,000 feasibility study to push forward plans to build a $60 million to $80 million sports complex. In funding the study, commissioners reiterated their support for raising the county’s bed tax from 4 to 5 percent to pay for the facility.
Commissioners didn’t officially raise the tax but said they plan to.
“The only way to finance this project is through raising the tourist development tax,” Commissioner Burt Saunders said. “There’s no other mechanism.”
Commissioners are negotiating with two landowners on potential sites for the fields: one near the intersection of Collier Boulevard and Interstate 75 east of Naples, the other at the Golden Gate Country Club golf course.
Related:With Corkscrew park moving forward, Collier needs to decide how to pay for it
The county also is considering building the complex on public land immediately northeast of the Collier Boulevard and I-75 intersection.
Commissioners are moving forward with the sports complex, just months after unanimously rejecting a proposal from the Atlanta Braves to build a baseball spring training stadium at the Collier Boulevard and I-75 intersection.
The stadium would have cost more — an estimated $100 million. But it could have served largely the same purpose as a sports complex, bringing fields and youth tournaments here while the Braves weren't using it.
The county also could have been able to capture up to $4 million a year from the Braves and the state, depending on negotiations, to help pay for it, proponents said.
But commissioners rejected the proposal, saying they didn't want to raise the bed tax to help finance a professional sports team.
The county manager’s office will present commissioners with cost and time-frame comparisons for the three potential sites within the next four months.