NorthEscambia.com reported on yesterday’s Tourist Development Council meeting. The TDC heard a proposal to build an indoor sports facility at Escambia County’s Ashton Brosnaham Park that could cost up to $60 million and upgrading the Pensacola Bay Center for $43 million .
- The indoor sports facility would be 100,000 sq. ft., including 73,000 sq. ft. of open floor space that would be large enough to host eight basketball courts that could be converted into 16 volleyball courts with support space. It also could be used as a large exhibition hall for other types of events.
A study commissioned by Pensacola Sports said the indoor facility would have a $37 million impact on the local economy and generate $2.7 million in tax revenues annually.
The Pensacola Bay Center upgrades are needed to ensure the Sun Belt Conference continues holding its basketball championships in Pensacola.
- A $90-million bond issue, repaid with bed taxes, would be issued—$60 million for the indoor facility and $30 million toward the Pensacola Bay Center upgrade.
TDT Council Chairman David Bear will schedule a special meeting to discuss the issue after the full Pensacola Sports study has been distributed.
Pensacola Sports CEO Ray Palmer on “Real News with Rick Outzen” this morning.
“What is really the most exciting at this particular time is that we have identified a piece of property that is absolutely perfect. We have 14 acres at the Brosnaham facility. It is flat, it’s clean, it’s zoned for recreation uses, and the county already owns it,” Palmer said.
“We also, with the leadership of the Board of County Commissioners, implemented the fifth-cent of the bed tax, which was a bit controversial in itself a few years ago, with the specific focus to do something like this.”
