Big League Dreams - Getting Stronger Every Year
Last Tuesday, the City Council received an update from the management of Big League Dreams (BLD). This annual update chronicled the incredible success of this often-criticized project. Friday's Bulletin did a nice job of summarizing the facts:
-257 adults softball teams this year as opposed to 168 in 2008.
-118 adult soccer teams compared to 124 in 2008.
-38 youth soccer teams compared to none in 2008.
-52 weeks booked solid of tournament play which is the same as last year.Seventy-five percent of the play – weekday leagues and tournaments – consists of youth teams.
-Of the out-of-town teams, at least 50 percent of the players and their families stay one night in Manteca area hotels.
-Over 400,000 attendees came to the complex in 2008.
-Total revenues were 17 percent ahead of projections meaning the payment to the City was $53,000 over projections--with a total payment to the City of $371,506!
The numbers certainly speak for themselves. Some will argue that the current numbers are good, but the original expenditure was far too high. In reality, while a city owned and operated project might have cost as much as $7 million less, I would challenge anyone to claim that the additional funds were not well spent. A City run facility likely would have cost the taxpayers at least $600,000 per year in maintenance and operational cost--whereas this facility is actually returning nearly $400,000 per year to the City. That is a difference of nearly $1 million per year. Thus, the additional cost will be paid off in about seven years--for the next 28 years of the lease, BLD will be a great financial benefit to the City.
In addition, a scaled down facility would not have attracted nearly as many outside visitors--outside visitors who eat in local restaurants and stay in local hotels. This likely benefits the local economy millions of dollars per year and returns hundreds of thousands of dollars back to the City in the form of sales tax and hotel tax revenues. A scaled down facility would not have generated the positive publicity that BLD has generated for the community. There are a lot of outside investors who would not even know that Manteca existed, were it not for BLD. While difficult to quantify, there is no doubt that BLD's existence has brought additional capital investment to the community.
I realize that there will always be naysayers, but in this case, those who continue to oppose BLD clearly have no case. The numbers don't lie.
-257 adults softball teams this year as opposed to 168 in 2008.
-118 adult soccer teams compared to 124 in 2008.
-38 youth soccer teams compared to none in 2008.
-52 weeks booked solid of tournament play which is the same as last year.Seventy-five percent of the play – weekday leagues and tournaments – consists of youth teams.
-Of the out-of-town teams, at least 50 percent of the players and their families stay one night in Manteca area hotels.
-Over 400,000 attendees came to the complex in 2008.
-Total revenues were 17 percent ahead of projections meaning the payment to the City was $53,000 over projections--with a total payment to the City of $371,506!
The numbers certainly speak for themselves. Some will argue that the current numbers are good, but the original expenditure was far too high. In reality, while a city owned and operated project might have cost as much as $7 million less, I would challenge anyone to claim that the additional funds were not well spent. A City run facility likely would have cost the taxpayers at least $600,000 per year in maintenance and operational cost--whereas this facility is actually returning nearly $400,000 per year to the City. That is a difference of nearly $1 million per year. Thus, the additional cost will be paid off in about seven years--for the next 28 years of the lease, BLD will be a great financial benefit to the City.
In addition, a scaled down facility would not have attracted nearly as many outside visitors--outside visitors who eat in local restaurants and stay in local hotels. This likely benefits the local economy millions of dollars per year and returns hundreds of thousands of dollars back to the City in the form of sales tax and hotel tax revenues. A scaled down facility would not have generated the positive publicity that BLD has generated for the community. There are a lot of outside investors who would not even know that Manteca existed, were it not for BLD. While difficult to quantify, there is no doubt that BLD's existence has brought additional capital investment to the community.
I realize that there will always be naysayers, but in this case, those who continue to oppose BLD clearly have no case. The numbers don't lie.
posted by City Manager @ 9:38 PM
2 Comments:
At April 14, 2009 11:19 PM ,
American Hero said...
The numbers do indeed "speak for themselves." The "net" to the city is the amount we get ($371,506) minus the debt service. How much is the "mortgage" for that place? About $2 million?
At April 14, 2009 11:31 PM ,
City Manager said...
I agree that there was a capital cost -- but there would have been a capital cost if we had built this as a city facility. By enhancing the project, we have turned a long term operating expense into a long term revenue stream that can help pay for other recreational faciities in the community.
Post a Comment
<< Home