Rec Plex to be built in FM
Facilty will be located near intersection of 48th Street and Bluff Road.
By Robin Delaney, Managing Editor
Daily Democrat
December 6, 2011
Click the image to view an enlarged version of the conceptual plan.
Imagine. Three baseball/ softball fields, along with three soccer/football fields, with a concessions area in the middle — all at one Fort Madison location.
It has been a dream discussed off and on for many years, but in recent months, it has become moved onto a road toward reality. The Rec Plex, which is to be located on the west end of Fort Madison, near the intersection of 48th Street and Bluff Road, near the community’s new 4-8 school, is designed for tournament and league use. With single entry gate entrance and a 250-vehicle parking lot, the entire facility will be fenced in — and will even include a children’s play area.
Step by step
“With some of the transition between the city and the Y, we’ve lost some of our leagues and recreational activities,” said Larry Smith, a member of the task force spearheading the project. The project began 18 months ago when stakeholders from all the entities belonging to Fort Madison Partners met to establish goals and priorities. “This (the Rec Plex) came out of that and was a reoccurring priority among the groups,” said Matt Morris, another member of the task force. “From that, we formed a group of those who had expressed an interest in it —some parents, some members of local industry. Marty Dean is one of them and is the chairman of the task force.” Step by step, the project gained a foundation. “The next day I talked to Fort Madison Community Hospital and Jim Platt took it to his board. They agreed to a long-term lease for $1 per year as long as it is used for a recreational facility like this,” Morris said. Then, it was Tony Baxter that came through, Morris said, by donating six acres of his land to allow access to FMCH’s property.
Pinnacle steps up
The total cost of the project will be $3.4 million, which includes some cash reserves to initial operations; however the fundraising ball has already started rolling with a $175,000 donation from Pinnacle Foods.
“As Pinnacle Foods expands and grows in Fort Madison we are excited to help the community flourish,” said Elizabeth Rowland of Pinnacle Foods Media Relations. “To kick-start the Fort Madison Economic Develop Corporation’s “Rec Plex” project we’ve donated $175,000 to creating a recreational facility for residents to enjoy. We look forward to seeing members of the community enjoy the new recreation facility upon its completion.”
Much of the funding, the task force hopes, will come from other industries, grants and donations, both cash and in-kind. Morris says Fort Madison Economic Development
Corporation is the developer of the project and, because it is a 501(c) organizations the charitable contributions will be tax deductible. “We feel really good about the funding for this project. Industries, like Pinnacle, know that the quality of life projects are what help attract businesses and new residents,” Morris said.
Tim Gobble, Executive Director of Fort Madison Partners, has been researching grant options and handling grant applications. The group will be applying for a Community & Attraction Tourism grant from Vision Iowa to cover 20 to 30 percent of the project. They will also be explaining the project to the Fort Madison City Council tonight, as they did earlier today to the Lee County Board of Supervisors, in hopes of gaining some assistance from the two governmental bodies. Formal fundraising will begin in 10 days and drawings of the Rec Plex will soon be available on the Fort Madison Partners web site. “If we do not raise all the funds needed, but I think we will, we will return all the donations,” Morris added.
Business & Visitors
First, Morris says the Rec Plex will serve as an additional quality of life asset to attract prospective industries and their employees. “We’ve had a couple of prospects in the last few years looking to locate here and we had the better incentive package, the better site, but they were concerned with recreational facilities,” Morris said. “When people look to locate here they look at schools, parks and these quality of life issues. Once we get them, they love it here, which grows our tax base and gives us more to work with.”
Secondly, Morris says the facility will bring out-of-town teams and spectators here to use the Rec Plex for tournaments, which in turn will generate revenue for local existing businesses. “They will go here to eat, sleep and shop, bringing dollars into the community, Morris said.
For residents too
But the Rec Plex is designed to also provide a recreational facility for current Lee County residents. While there will be practice fields for students at the new 4-8 school, Smith says the Rec Plex will give adults a place to engage in league competition. “When we first came here in 1975 there were a bunch of leagues playing four or five nights during the week,” Smith said. “This will allow leagues to come back and residents to see that once again.”
Completion date
Morris said the task force should learn whether it receives the CAT grant funding during the first quarter, or halfway through the second quarter of 2012. “We hope to be moving dirt in May, seeding in the Fall and be up and running the Spring of 2013,” Morris said.
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