South Walton Sports Complex Update

[Jdarg]

The proposal has a huge emphasis on heads in beds, and numbers from other communities that are total opposites of the SoWal community.

All for a great place, not excited about the focus being about heads in beds.

Wish I could be at the workshops, but hopefully others are able to attend and share the concerns.

 

[Bdarg]

Take a look at the Proposal: https://www.dropbox.com/s/7hn3ibzh8j4jghz/FV%20Proposal.docx?m

The goal is to bring in new markets with a different demographic than that of PCB: supporters and participants of lacrosse, sand volleyball, hiking and biking trails, a skateboard park, and an amphitheater. Sure, the focus is on bringing in tourists, but this will also be an incredible place for local families to enjoy.

i appreciate your enthusiasm, however the first sentence in the proposal sums it up, that is, "Every coastal county competing for affluence has a sports facility driving tourism." That is the thing with 30A, it is not competing for affluence, it has already won it, look at Seaside, Rosemary, Watersound, Alys Beach, Watercolor, and many others that have the affluence but without the marketing. If a sports complex is a danger, if it is off target, then it would become a stumbling block rather than an asset. If it is on target, then we get traffic, fast food, cheap hotels, and who knows what else.
We could really use a good pool, soccer fields, maybe some of the other stuff, but it needs to be part of a plan.

 

[Kurt]

[h=3]South Walton Sports and Recreation Park Public Workshop[/h]May 23, 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM @ 437 Greenway Trail
Workshop at Coastal Branch Library to share information and answer questions about the proposed sports park for South Walton.
More Details

 

[momof2kids]

Did anyone go to the workshop this morning? Wanted to know thoughts, & what happened.

 

[marilu120]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
South Walton Sports and Recreation Park Workshops
Miramar Beach, FL – May 29, 2013 – Two workshops will be held on Wednesday, June 5th to present information and answer any questions about the Sports Complex Land Purchase that is on the agenda for the Walton Board of County Commissioners Meeting on June 11[SUP]th[/SUP]. The first workshop will be at 9:00 am and the second will be at 5:00 pm. Both workshops will be held in Commissioner Meadows’s conference room located at 70 Logan Lane in Santa Rosa Beach. All interested parties are encouraged to attend.

Contact:
Marilu Lammon
marilu.a.lammon@gmail.com
11490 Emerald Coast Pkwy
Suite 300, Box 3
Miramar Beach, FL 32550
Ph: 850-424-3240
###

I hope to see y'all there!

 

[marilu120]

Dotty Nist did a great write-up in the DeFuniak Herald today summarizing last week's workshops. Check out the article: https://www.dropbox.com/s/lhk6qgpvzq16qmp/DeFuniak%20Herald%2005%2030%202013%20Sports%20Complex.pdf

 

[marilu120]

http://www.co.walton.fl.us/Calendar.aspx?EID=6591&month=6&year=2013&day=5&calType=0

http://www.co.walton.fl.us/Calendar.aspx?EID=6592&month=6&year=2013&day=5&calType=0

Workshops are on the calendar for next Wednesday, June 5th. See you there!

 

[fishwalton]

Sports Park is a great idea for private interprise to invest and assume the risk of making it work. It's not a good idea to tap county coffers since the study shows it to be a money looser from the start and in all likelyhood will need funding transfusions on an annual basis. This is what I'm reading in the executive summary of the 2011 study. Go for it as a private business venture who would operate it as a business and not as a tax payer supported amenity.

 

[tsutcli]

They talk about cooperating with our neighbors to the east and west to take overflow bookings, etc. but let's recognize that this will be a competitive situation for tournaments in the future, with them having a large advantage in:
1 - recognized facilities and history
2 - many, many more and larger condo buildings available (or are we going to start building 30 story condos on
30a? a developers dream)
3 - many, many more family oriented dining opportunities ( fast food coming to SOWAL? )
4 - overall costs to stay in Bay County will always be much lower
5 - predict teams will stay and eat in Bay County even if they play ball in Walton
6 - beach time is a wash

IMO, this will be a tax drain and a net negative for SOWAL. Haven't we just gone through a battle with the TDC, resulting in a change in leadership, about a change in emphasis on marketing (heads in beds) to managing what we have in the way of infrastructure? The up-front stated purpose of this project is to increase heads in beds ( I hate that phrase) . Haven't we learned anything?

 

[marilu120]

Two workshops will be held TOMORROW for anyone who is interested in learning more about the proposed park:

9:00 am and 5:00 pm

Commissioner Meadows's Conference Room
70 Logan Lane
Santa Rosa Beach

See you there!