The indoor sportsplex would have been designed and constructed to complement the city's outdoor sportsplex.
How we got here
Kyle residents voted for a $47 million bond package in November 2020—$10 million of which will go toward land acquisition, planning, designing and improving land for parks throughout the city, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.
In July 2020, Kyle City Council and Hays County entered into an interlocal agreement for park and green space improvements as part of that bond. Under that agreement, the county will match the city’s pledged $10 million for three projects, which included an outdoor sportsplex park. The outdoor sportsplex park was estimated to cost about $7 million with an additional $7 million being funded by the county, per the agreement.
Zooming in
Proposed outdoor sportsplex projects—which would already have funding from the voter-approved 2020 bond—identified in a July 16 presentation were 2 miles of trails, four basketball courts and playgrounds, 11 pickleball courts, 17 bleachers, and 30 shade pavilions.
Council was considering a 90-acre site—located along FM 1626, near Plum Creek Meadows Drive in Kyle—for the indoor sportsplex, according to agenda documents.
The indoor sportsplex could include an indoor track, community room, catering kitchen and an open workout area, according to agenda documents. The presentation also proposed a 175-foot-long tunnel under FM 1626, which would improve connectivity and accessibility from the west and east side, said Mark Maldonado, a senior principal with Stantec Consulting Services, during a meeting on July 16.
If council called the bond and the bond had passed, Kyle residents may have seen a slight tax increase, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.
What the dais is saying
Mayor Travis Mitchell said he thought the need for sports infrastructure was the city's "most-pressing need."
"I [want to] see the town prosper, and I think that potentially phasing a proposal could work," Mitchell said, noting that if council could not agree and get behind a long-term plan, the city would miss out on opportunities.
Mayor Pro Tem Robert Rizo said he thought the process was being a little rushed.
“I don’t think we’ve done a good job as a city to give everybody the information they need,” Rizo said. “I definitely would love to see more investment in the building to be larger. ... I just don’t think we’re ready right now.”
One more thing
With council's direction, city staff will continue gathering input, and develop a master plan for the outdoor sportsplex and other park improvements, City Manager Bryan Langley told Community Impact.
"Over the next few months we'll be working with our design firms to conduct some public outreach and gathering input from the community, and then we'll be coming back to provide options," Langley said.
