ELKO — The City of Elko is looking to start construction this summer on the first phase of a sports complex to be located at Errecart Boulevard and Bullion Road.
Before the bidding process can start, finalization of the permitting process must occur, and fundraising is another essential element.
Development Manager Jeremy Draper said a capital campaign has been in the works for the past year and Newmont Mining Corp. has donated $100,000 toward the project.
Next month the City hopes to go to the council for bidding authorization. If all of the funding is not available at that time, the project will be split into more phases.
The approximate amount of the total project is about $10 million, Draper said. The City has about $7 million available to begin work.
“We’re still doing fundraising for the other $3 million,” Draper told the Free Press.
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The available funding is from a bond the City initiated last fall, said Parks and Recreation Director James Wiley, explaining the project has come a long way.
The mining company's donation is a "pledge of support contingent on full project funding," said Lisa Becker, external relations specialist.
Wiley explained the $100,000 award from Newmont will be allotted over a two-year period – giving $50,000 both years.
“Newmont is pleased to see the City moving forward with this project,” said Becker, calling the new facility an “exciting opportunity for all of the families and the youth in the local communities.”
“Newmont is pleased to be a partner and be able to support the complex and all it does for the future for the community,” she said.
Mayor Chris Johnson said he was thankful for Newmont’s support and he looks forward to the future of what the fields can offer.
“Especially not only for just all the different age groups — adult softball and Little League Softball — and also the future that Elko has by having the sports complex at Errecart, and what it will do for future projects ...
“It’s a great community project and will be a great use by the folks in Elko,” said Johnson.
There are several other pending fundraisers at this time. However, Newmont’s confirmation is the first funding the project has received outside of the bond monies, said Wiley.
Fundraising efforts include reaching out to Barrick Gold Corp., the William N. Pennington Foundation and the E.L. Cord Foundation. The latter two foundations are based out of Reno.
“Hopefully we’ll have word on what those entities are able to donate in the next month or so, because we really want to have the project put out to bid this summer,” he said, explaining the City’s goal.
There is approximately $4 million in pending requests, which have been sent to both private and nonprofit partners, said Wiley.
Pending Permits
Funding is not the only pending element for the sports complex. Before the bidding process can start, permits must be sought from entities such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Hopefully, in the next 60 days or so, we’ll have word on those,” said Wiley, explaining if those components fall into place the contract could go out to bid in July, with construction possibly starting in August.
Starting construction in the late summer could create a tight timeline for the project before the winter season arrives.
There is a possibility the City would have to look at postponing construction until next year, but the goal is to secure the funding and permits for this summer, said Wiley.
Phase I
The sports complex has been in the master planning and design phase since 2013, Wiley told the Free Press.
The site was officially dedicated for recreational use in 1999, he said.
Phase I of the sports complex will have three baseball and softball fields. The surfaces will be all natural.
According to Free Press files, in an attempt to save money the City Council voted in November to redesign the first phase of the complex to include natural instead of synthetic turf.
Even though the main focus is the baseball and softball fields, a soccer or football field could be put on the larger fields.
“The neat thing about this complex is that we’ve designed it to be multi-use and multi-sport,” said Wiley, explaining the idea is to try and utilize the space in as many ways as possible to accommodate as many needs.
The plan is to break ground with the available funds.
“Our goal is to play ball with the $7 million we have,” said Wiley.
This could mean the first phase of the project may not reach final completion in the sense of aesthetics. It will be more functional, with beautification occurring at a later date.
Wiley said landscaping alone will cost approximately $1.5 million.
However, certain aspects are paramount to completing the first phase and continuing onto other phases.
The project also includes a large environmental component along the river, which will also help wildlife and clean up the area.
As the project will disrupt some of the existing wetlands, new ones will have to be made — resulting in a rehabilitation of the wetlands along the river, which is part of the permitting process for the project, he said.
During this reclamation, the permitting entities require a 2-to-1 ratio in replacing the existing wetlands.
“We have to do this to do the project,” said Wiley.
In this first phase, the design allows for the facility’s drainage to go through a filtration pond and work its way into the wetlands, said Wiley, adding that this would aid in their viability, especially in the summer months.
This work is ideal to complete in the summer when the water table is down, he said.
The irrigation will also incorporate a reuse system from the waste water treatment facility, thus reserving potable water.
Both this system and the sewer will be brought into the facility through the wetlands – both lines will share a river crossing.
Wiley predicted that most is not all of the parks will be on a reuse system in the future. Ruby View Golf Course already is.
Looking to the Future
The sports complex will be completed in multiple phases.
“When it’s all built out there will be six softball/baseball fields — four of those will be larger fields and then two of those will be smaller fields, pretty much solely dedicated to youth sports,” said Wiley.
Youth sports could potentially be accommodated on the larger fields, by not using their entirety.
In the design, there is a common area between the six fields.
“We’ll also have two soccer fields, which could serve as football fields as well,” he said.
Not only are there walking trails in the area, but there is also contemplation of a future phase utilizing the historical hot springs which sit on the property.
He explained the area is fenced off right now, and is not accessible by the public. The City hopes to create that accessibility and create another amenity within the facility.
“We want to enhance that area and take note of the historical relevance,” said Wiley. “It’s a future phase — it’s not at the top of the list right now.”
The facility will be utilized for the majority of the year: weather depending, March through the end of November, concluded Wiley.
“We’re hoping to have fields ready to play in 2017,” said Draper.
“Our goal is to play ball with the $7 million we have.” — James Wiley, parks and rec director
Correction: An earlier version of this article did not clarify the donation from Newmont Mining Corp. is a pledge of support contingent on the full funding of the project.
