A new project by Henderson County to bring a sports complex to the area is on an “aggressive” timeline according to county staff.
At an Aug. 20 special called Henderson County Board of Commissioners meeting, the board approved a contract with WithersRavenel for engineering services for the project.
The need for a sports complex that will provide additional fields “has been discussed for over 15 years,” Assistant County Manager Chris Todd told the Times-News Aug. 20. He said with the awarding of American Rescue Plan Act funds, commissioners have been “specifically discussing” the topic for the past three years.
More than two years ago, the Board of Commissioners designated more than $2 million for the development of a sports complex. As the county finalized allocations for ARPA funding, the commissioners designated an additional $7.5 million to the project, for a total of $9.5 million in ARPA funding to build a sports complex.
Because this project is being funded with ARPA dollars, it is required that all funds be under contract with projects by Dec. 31, 2024. Todd said the county needs to be “aggressive” with the timeline in order to design, bid and contract the project by the end of the year.
“Every day truly matters,” Todd told commissioners Aug. 20.
Current preliminary plans for the sports complex include four soccer fields with 322 parking spots. The sports complex will be on the site of Berkeley Mills Park.
The park, located at 69 Balfour Road in Hendersonville, is nearly 39 acres and includes walking paths through trees. The proposed plan would see the elimination of much of these trees. The park is also home to the field where the Hendersonville Honeycrisps baseball team play.
Two people spoke during the public comment portion of the Aug. 20 meeting, advocating for preserving the park. Chris Walters said he would like to see the “park-like” setting of Berkeley Mills Park preserved, while Lynne Williams wanted to see the trees and other aspects of nature at the park preserved.
Jason Bertoncino, a growth officer with WithersRavenel, addressed these concerns and said most of the tree preservation would be on the perimeter of the site, but that the firm would work “diligently” to preserve what it could through the design process.
Because Berkeley Mills Park is owned by the Henderson County School Board, the property must be transferred to the county before any work can be done.
Board of Commissioners Chair Rebecca McCall directed County Manager John Mitchell to facilitate a meeting with the school superintendent, the Hendersonville city manager and the county to help work out any details needed to speed the process up.
Next steps include WithersRavenel working to design the sports complex. Todd said the goal is to get the project out for bid by early November. Bids will be accepted throughout the month, and he said the intention is to contract with the lowest qualified bidder by early December.
“The county is proud to be able to work towards bringing the sports complex project to reality,” Todd said. “This is a project which will serve generations of residents to come by providing more healthy and safe recreational options here in Henderson County.”
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Karrigan Monk is the reporter for Black Mountain News and Hendersonville Times-News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kmonk@blackmountainnews.com.