Complexes to open throughout the Hill Country
Area children and adults alike may be changing where they play and exercise in the coming years.
Throughout the Lake Travis area, a few athletics facilities are on the verge of being built or having their fate decided.
Increases in population throughout the area have garnered the need for more athletics space, Hill Country Indoor spokeswoman PJ Todd said.
"The need for athletic space is obvious," she said. "There is also a need to provide safety and security, which is why we offer all our sports under one roof. It's no secret that we love our sports in Bee Cave, so we want to provide the safest, most secure and convenient environment possible."
Hill Country Indoor
Originally scheduled to open in fall 2012, Hill Country Indoor ran into financial obstacles that put the project on hold, co-owner Josh McKay said.
"We had our funding in place, and it all just disintegrated," he said. "We were all devastated."
McKay, along with co-owners Chris Lupton and Jeffrey Spillar, said scrapping the plans was the hardest thing they have ever done.
The delay in financing allowed the trio to work with Sports Facilities Advisory, a Florida-based company that specializes in planning and opening athletics facilities.
McKay said the company helped them create a new facility design that not only kept all of the amenities originally planned, but also reduced costs and made the building more modular, where parts can be interchangable.
"The new facility is better on every level," McKay said. "It has a better utilization of space."
The new design is rotated to angle off of Bee Cave Parkway—different from the original plan—turning the baseball field away from the roadway, he said.
McKay said the new design also added parking spaces and a two-story batting cage and could potentially add additional facilities if the final project comes in under budget.
The co-owners said they did not have to remove anything from the original plan, which included indoor volleyball and basketball courts and soccer, lacrosse and flag football fields along with an outdoor baseball diamond. The original plans also included a retail store; locker rooms; a concession stand; a fitness room for Pilates, yoga and spinning classes; a lounge and a membership fitness facility.
McKay said he should have the final construction costs in the next few weeks and hopes to start construction on the facility in the first quarter of 2014. The construction period will take between 14 and 18 months, he said.
Triathlon and swim academy
A local family is finalizing plans for a new athletics training center in Southwest Austin that focuses on triathlon and swimming competitions, said Kevin Thompson, the project's developer.
Thompson joined forces with his father, Bob, a retired hospital chief executive officer, and head swim coach Todd Foley to create Austin Aquatics and Sports Academy, 5513 Southwest Parkway, Austin.
The facility will focus on triathlete training and competitive swimming including youth and master programs. Plans for the 5-acre tract which includes a 5,500-square-foot indoor athletics training facility; a 50-meter, 8-lane outdoor pool; and running trail are being reviewed by the city of Austin's Planning and Review Department.
"Triathlons are the fastest-growing sport in the nation, and nobody builds facilities tailored to the ability to run, bike and swim," Kevin Thompson said.
Foley will provide strength training for his swim program at the site. The indoor training room will incorporate multifunctional equipment, spin bikes and clip-on trainers, Foley said. Future plans may include a water polo program and yoga classes, he said.
Kevin Thompson said the Southwest Parkway site was chosen partly because the area has traditionally attracted bikers and triathletes for training. The outdoor running path is planned to be constructed on the area designated for impervious cover for the main build, he said.
If all goes well, he said he anticipates breaking ground on the project shortly after the first of the year.
Going forward
In addition to the two new facilities planned to open in the future, the ongoing fight for the Western Hills Little League River Hills Sports Complex took a step toward resolution this month.
The complex, which was approved for lease by Eanes ISD on March 30, 2011, has been at the center of an ongoing dispute with nearby neighborhoods. The lawsuit filed by those neighbors claiming the lease signed between EISD and WHLL is not valid was dismissed by the judge in a letter to the involved parties, but the judge has not issued a written ruling, EISD Director of Communication Claudia McWhorter said.
