Does Elk Grove Need a Sports Complex? Who Should Run it?

Building a in Elk Grove isn't as simple as fueling up some earth movers and getting to work.

The city must first decide whether it's worth the cost and effort, and whether it should oversee the complex near Elk Grove and Big Horn boulevards itself or hire an outside company. The Elk Grove City Council will look to answer those questions at its meeting Wednesday.

First is the question of whether it's even worth building a tournament-ready sports complex, when the already hosts tournaments and is close to being able to host larger events like those the city is hoping to draw.

"Further, the [Cosumnes Community Services District] inventory includes eight lighted fields that can be used for tournament play," a city staff report states. "The cities that host national softball tournaments need ten fields. If the [Cosumnes Community Services District] provided additional lighting for two existing suitable fields, then [it] would have the number of fields needed to host national tournaments."

If the city decides it still wants to move forward with building the sports complex, staff have recommended either the city either oversee the complex itself or hire Big League Dreams to do it.

Big League Dreams is "best known for operating sports parks that are designed as scaled-down replicas of major league fields," according to the staff report. One is located in Manteca, and would provide synergy "in attracting and hosting large-scale tournaments," according to city staff. The company's proposal to the city, one of three received, estimated the city would bring in $820,000 in revenue in the first 10 years.

Its proposal was more than twice as expensive as rival Sportsplex USA's, and the Cosumnes Community Services District said it could oversee the complex if the city provides a subsidy of more than $4 million.

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Elk Grove City Council meeting
6 p.m. Wednesday
8400 Laguna Palms Way

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