Commissioners studying sports event venue in county’s southern tier
Butler County commissioners on Wednesday, Jan. 31, hired a consultant to look at properties in the southern tier of the county as possible locations for a sports venue for Olympic and Paralympic events.
Commissioners approved a $10,000 professional services agreement with independent consultant F. Mark Malick, of Beaver County, to assist in determining the feasibility of creating such a multiuse complex. Malick’s report is due to the commissioners by March 29.
The objective is to determine the feasibility of creating a multiuse, Olympic-style sports facility that would be a hub for select USA Olympic and Paralympic Committee sports for the midwest region, according to the contract.
The plan is to identify suitable locations for private investment.
Leslie Osche, chairwoman of the commissioners, said the county isn’t buying the property.
The venue would primarily host athletic events, Osche said. The Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau, the county Parks and Recreation Department and Cranberry Township have said there is demand for such a facility. Aquatic groups are also looking for a place to hold events, she said.
There is a demand in the county for facilities that can host sports tournaments, and there are entities in the county that want more athletic facilities, Osche said.
She said municipalities want to host tournaments, but don’t want to displace local teams from the fields they use so they can host those tournaments.
The tourism bureau has a difficult time trying attract tournaments because of the lack of event space, Osche said.
Numerous potential sites in the southern part of the county are available, said Mark Gordon, county chief of Economic Development and Planning.
He said organizations that need dedicated facilities for events are willing to evaluate property, and the southern tier is best suited for a facility because of the hotel space available for participants and spectators.
Organizations are interested in facilities for indoor, outdoor and aquatic events, he said.
The contract calls for Malick to determine which USA Olympic and Paralympic organizations are best suited to create a satellite operation in the county and develop a plan to attract events sanctioned by the Olympics.
Identifying the most credible sports, health, education, research, sports tourism and entertainment organizations, and providing examples of sports complex designs is also required under the contract.
Malick also will identify funding sources, partnerships and opportunities to create revenue, according to the contract.
The commissioners approved a service agreement that provides the Nonprofit Development Corporation with $338,000 for startup, renovation and operating costs for the Butler Recovery Center.
The center will be housed in the former Grace Youth and Family Foundation building on Center Avenue, which the county is buying through NDC for a drug and alcohol recovery program. NDC will operate the program and manage the building, said Brandon Savochka, county Human Services director.
The county will be reimbursed for the $375,000 cost of the property from program costs and reimbursements, Osche said.
The $338,000 will come from the county’s opioid abuse settlement funds. The county has received about $1.6 million in opioid settlement funds in 2022 and 2023.
