Paola City Officials now have a better idea of what a new sports complex would look like in Wallace Park and, what it would cost.
A company called Confluence was hired by the City to update the Comprehensive Plan and mapping out a strategy and plan for the ball fields is a big part of that. Confluence said they had about 500 people respond the needs survey and 83% of those responding believe the community would support the sports complex.
The company put together a plan that includes four turfed fields in the first phase and two more grass fields in the second phase. The existing two fields would stay in place. In the end, the complex would have eight fields, with scoreboards, bleachers and other amenities. The price tag comes to just over 8 1/2 million dollars. That amount is a concern. The City’s half cent sales tax will bring in an estimated 12 million dollars over the next 15 years and, over three million of that will go to pool repairs and annual operating costs.
The Commission made no official decision on the project.
