The City of Houston will purchase a 60-acre tract in the northern part of the community for the development of baseball and softball fields, as well as the creation of a recreation facility.
According to Mayor Sam Kelley, the city could break ground on the land in 2026 and complete the project promised to voters in 2019 by late 2027.
The plan – outlined by Ed McLiney, a principal at a Kansas City firm specializing in municipal financing – includes a $3.5 million lease purchase option, with the project totaling about $5.5 million.
“The city plans to put in about $1.5 million from the fiber internet sale and about $500,000 out of reserves,” said Kelley. The internet program sold earlier this year.
In April 2019, Houston voters approved a one-percent sales tax, with half of the funds being distributed for improvements including the building of a sports and recreation facility. In late 2023, the city purchased a 40-acre tract on Thomasville Road for $440,000 from the Evans family. Kelley, a former council member at the time, opposed the purchase. The new land on Spruce Street is estimated to save about $1 million to $1.5 million in development costs, said Kelley.
“I campaigned on it, and told people we would move forward when it is financially feasible and we could keep the costs down,” he said. “This is following through on the tax that was passed.”
Plans to purchase the land from 7 S Farms LLC of Houston were unanimously approved by the council at its Sept. 22 meeting. Negotiations commenced, and the city could take possession of the property as early as next week, Kelley and members of the council confirmed on Tuesday morning. The purchase price is $600,000.
The move comes after the city received a detailed report Oct. 1 that was commissioned in June by the Houston City Council and conducted by Archer-Elgin, a Rolla engineering firm. In all, four sites were examined, and the selected Spruce Street property is west of the Texas County Justice Center and extends westward to near Fredrick Street. A survey marker on site marks the west boundary. The property was previously used for agriculture purposes and owned by the Christie family, who at one time, ran a milk operation.
WHAT WOULD THE FACILITY INCLUDE?
The purchase is one in many steps set by the council to develop what is commonly referred to in the community as a “quadplex” that would include four softball/baseball fields. Under a plan developed by the engineering firm, a 36,000 square foot recreation center would include several amenities for use by the public: Two basketball and volleyball courts, an infield with artificial grass, two batting cages, a simulated golf area and a small weight room. Other amenities could be included depending on cost. It is situated west of the ball fields and is surrounded by parking. On the east portion of the tract is an area for future athletic development. The land is north of Houston School District athletic fields.
The project is modeled after one in Belle, Missouri. In 2023, Outkast Sports Club was awarded $4 million in state funds, enabling the purchase of 29 acres of land for the development of a state-of-the-art sports complex. A groundbreaking was in January 2024. Now operational, it is designed to serve surrounding communities, offering top-notch amenities and fostering the growth of young athletes.
Late last year, Mid-State Pipeline Maintenance LLC of Belle, whose principal is Jimmy Zumwalt, was hired by the Houston City Council as project manager. It oversaw the Belle project that includes two baseball fields, two softball fields, an indoor infield, two basketball courts, batting cages, a golf simulator, a gym and concession area.
Confirmation of the Houston project this week marks one of the city’s most ambitious efforts in recent memory and is designed to offer new sporting opportunities to residents and attract new revenue for the business community that would benefit from visitors at tournaments.
HOW WILL THE CITY PAY FOR THE PROJECT?
Annual payments are estimated at just over $300,000, which the city believes would be comfortably supported by annual sales tax revenue dedicated to the project. With some profits from the fiber internet system sale, the council this year paid off the remaining debt on the Toni M. McKinney City of Houston Municipal Pool and opened up another $189,000 in annual cash flow.
Additionally, the city is exploring two grant opportunities. The first is a Community Development Block Grant administered by the Missouri Department of Economic Development that offers a maximum of $500,000. The city has had informal talks with the South Central Ozark Council of Governments. That group played a key role in assisting the Texas County Library Foundation, the organizers of a new library in Houston that opens later this month.
The other opportunity is a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant offered by Missouri State Parks. The city will submit an application early next year for it. Houston has had early success in tapping funds from the program. It helped pay for the development of Rutherford Park and the municipal swimming pool at Westside Park. City leaders recently met with state Rep. Bennie Cook, R-Houston, and state Sen. Brad Hudson, R-Cape Fair, to discuss help from Jefferson City.
The council and mayor signaled this week it plans to dispose of the Evans tract, and some preliminary discussions have been held with the Evans family, who owns the surrounding property.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Based on McLiney’s presentation, now that the city has determined land, its next steps include preparing an official statement detailing the project and setting a date to finalize financing through institutions. The sale of the lease purchase option would then be conducted and the winning institution would break the option into $5,000 denominations for resale to individuals, banks and other investors. Once funds are received, they would be placed into a trust, with the bank authorized to disburse payments for the city’s project expenses.
OTHER PROPERTIES CONSIDERED
The properties studied by the Rolla engineering firm were the city-owned site on Thomasville Road, property owned by the Evans family that is accessed from East Route 17 and near Ridge Road, City of Houston Industrial Development Authority land northeast of the chamber fairgrounds and tracts on Spruce Street.
What an incredible opportunity for our city, its students, and the bright future that lies ahead!