The gist
After a year of special events, festivals and sports tournaments at Round Rock facilities, the city saw over $22 million in new cash spent in the local economy, McKenzie said.
Along with roughly 5,300 jobs provided through sports and tourism programming, the city generated $54.3 million in state and local tax revenues from visitors. These revenues can in turn be used for infrastructure projects and city services.
“We’re excited about continuing our efforts in what we do—not only in sports tourism, but also with Kalahari [Resorts and Conventions] and different meetings and events that are held in Round Rock,” McKenzie said.
Moving forward
The city has improvements project taking place at four of the five properties maintained by the Sports Management and Tourism Department.
At Dell Diamond, renovations are still underway to provide a new visitors clubhouse, female-specific locker rooms, coach offices and storage. The project is expected to be done by opening day of the Round Rock Express in 2025, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
In the downtown area, renovations to the old Griffith Building are still in the works, as the city plans to use the building as a visitors center and for offices for Convention and Visitors Bureau staff. It will also house the Round Rock Chamber and an art gallery.
An expansion to the Round Rock Sports Center is still under construction. The $19 million project will provide additional courts, restrooms, seating, concessions, storage and parking. McKenzie said staff hope to have the new parking lot paved in the coming weeks.
The city is also still in the pre-construction phase for improvements to the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex, which will eventually feature six additional fields and other improvements. McKenzie said construction won’t begin until late 2025 or 2026.
In the upcoming year, the Sports Management and Tourism Department plans to host 55 weekend events at the Round Rock Sports Center, including a USA Fencing tournament, the National Deaf Basketball Championships and the Central Texas Classic Volleyball Tournament. The Multipurpose Complex is expected to host 52 weekend events next year, including national and international soccer tournaments.
