Though fears and rumors of a shutdown had been circulating, the Mike Jacob Sportspark on the northwest side could see up to $1 million in repairs to the aging facility in the near future.
That’s part of a deal that was approved unanimously Tuesday by the Pima County Board of Supervisors. The money would come from county right-of-ways sold to the Arizona Department of Transportation, not out of the general fund.
The deal also calls for switching to a month-to-month lease arrangement for up to six months with Championship Sports, which handles sports leagues and tournaments, as well as some maintenance. In the interim, the county would put out a request for proposals seeking a single operator to run the entire operation, as opposed to the current three.
Lou Ciurca, Championship’s CEO, said a month-to-month arrangement is unworkable for sports leagues and tournament planning, adding that the facility “is going to have to shut down” as a result.
“That just shows (the board’s) ignorance, their lack of understanding of how this facility works was shown today,” he said of the vote. The park is at the corner of Ina Road and Interstate 10 and includes softball fields, a soccer field, volleyball courts and concession stands.
Championship’s attorney Edward Laber said the company would like to work “together with the county” to come up with an arrangement that works for all parties.
In a recent report, the county parks and recreation department raised a number of safety concerns about the facility, which has not seen much re investment over the last three decades. Recently, metal roofing blew off, safety netting poles snapped and fell onto a volleyball court and electrical issues nearly led to a fire.
“Our view is that we have some significant exposure in regard to potential safety issues,” County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry told the board before the vote.
