Ashleigh Bachert and other supporters of a proposed indoor sports facility plan to soon renew the push for city of Fort Smith support of a facility they believe will be a regional tourism draw and a tax revenue driver.
Bachert, executive director of the Fort Smith Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), presented the plan in early 2025[1] to the Fort Smith Board of Directors and city staff, and has continued to coordinate with city staff on the idea.
The Fort Smith Advertising and Promotion Commission (A&P) — which oversees the CVB — engaged with Huddle Up Group and Synergy Sports to complete a sports tourism strategic plan to expand upon the Conventions, Sports & Leisure Study on the indoor sports facility that was completed in 2022. That review identified an “indoor sports facility desert” in a large swath of western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. The estimated facility cost is between $29 million and $35 million, depending on construction costs and final design plans.
The concept that emerged is a 120,000-square-foot indoor sports facility that would include eight basketball courts that could convert into 16 volleyball courts, 32 pickleball courts or 32 futsal courts. The space would also be able to accommodate badminton, archery, wrestling and other sports. The space also would be open to public use at no cost.
Bachert said Fort Smith is “in an arms race” among communities that are looking at this type of project. For example, the city of Jonesboro broke ground in April[2] on a $77 million multi-sport facility. The main 200,000-square-foot structure will include 12 basketball courts that can be converted into 24 volleyball courts, 36 pickleball courts, and a natatorium. The natatorium plan has a 50-meter pool, a competition diving pool, and a warm-up pool. The natatorium features seating for 1,245 spectators. The facility will also have an aquatic center, slide, a moving water feature, and other amenities.
“If we get it, if we do this first and do it right, we essentially black out this side of the state,” Bachert said in a recent interview.
The economic impact, derived from real facility data collected by Huddle Up Group, projects that the facility would generate around $1.3 million in sales tax revenue for the city’s general fund in the first three years, or a total of $11.229 million in 10 years.
With just 11 new state, regional and national tournaments a year, the facility could mean more than 20,500 tournament attendees, and nearly $4.5 million in direct visitor spending, according to the Huddle Up Group. The 11 events would result in more than 3,500 hotel room nights, close to $150,000 in generated hotel lodging taxes, $410,000 in sales tax collection, and $560,000 in total sports tourism related taxes.
The working idea is to build the facility behind Home2 Suites at 7400 Phoenix Ave. The land would have to be leased from the airport, Bachert said. Bachert recently said they have met with Andrew Meyer, director of the Fort Smith Regional Airport, and airport officials have tentatively agreed to a property lease.
Meyer confirmed with Talk Business & Politics they have met with Bachert and others. He said the airport commission will ultimately have a say in the deal, and there are a lot of details to work out, but he is “excited about the prospects” of the facility.
Bachert said the A&P is not asking for money from the city to build the proposed 120,000-square-foot facility, but the city would need to guarantee lease payments until the center’s generated revenues could cover that expense. It would be less than $500,000 a year for the first couple of years that the city would need to guarantee, she said. And based on the projected economic models, the city’s upfront guarantee would result in significant tax gains after the first two to three years.
She said she and other project supporters are “fighting all of those negative perceptions from some in the community” resulting from expensive federal consent decree work to fix the city’s sewer system, the annual subsidy of the Fort Smith Convention Center, and the ongoing controversy over the water slide purchase for Parrot Island Waterpark.
“But we, the city, have an opportunity to build something that generates funds, the opportunity to build something that is self-sustaining,” she said. “There will be those (losses) in the first two or three years, but it will eventually be a profit center.”
The A&P may also put $200,000 a year from its fund balance toward any losses to mitigate the city’s guarantee, Bachert said. She also said the initial budget included the possibility of a private-sector sponsorship — think naming rights — of about $750,000 a year, but that could be closer to $1.2 million, thereby further reducing the city’s financial risk. Bachert said a private firm with real estate holdings that supports such deals also may put $100,000 a year toward losses in the first few years.
“A lot of people see certainty in this project … because of what we see working at other places like this, places that are like Fort Smith,” Bachert said. “This is not that (untried or previously failed idea). But yes, we will have to convince them (Fort Smith board) that this will pay off.”
David Barret, vice president of Fort Smith Youth Baseball and Softball and a promoter of the project, said he is tired of “seeing our tax dollars” go to other cities because they are willing to engage in private and public partnerships to build sports facilities.
“Let’s bet on ourselves. It’s time to bet on ourselves,” Barret said.
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References
- ^ in early 2025 (talkbusiness.net)
- ^ broke ground in April (talkbusiness.net)