Timeout!

$40 million, voter-approved Republic Sports Complex now ‘on hold’, city cites lack of funds
 
The $40 million Republic Sports Complex approved by voters on the August 2022 ballot through a quarter-cent sales tax, will no longer be moving ahead as scheduled. The promised RSC is being put “on hold,” according to Kris Parks, director of Republic Parks and Recreation.
On the ballot, the measure establishing the tax that was set to fund the park projects read, “The city intends to use this sales tax to fund capital improvement projects including, but not limited to, expansion of the Republic Aquatic Center, development of a large community park featuring a regional sports complex, and the development of a farmers market/community event space at J.R. Martin Park.”
This measure received a “yes” vote from 67 percent of voters and was passed in 2022, renewed in 2025, and set to sunset in 2049, as the language states, to fund park projects, including that of the athletics complex. According to Bob Ford, Republic finance director, these funds will all be used up by the year 2026.
Despite the citizens’ vote on the ballot and the promises of the city in 2022—spearheaded by previous Republic Parks and Recreation director Jared Keeling—the project will be on the back burner as it is no longer deemed to be financially feasible.
The city planned to borrow nearly all of the $40 million required to build the Republic Sports Complex. Of the original $11 million, that will be all dried up by 2026; a small amount of that was earmarked for preliminary work and architectural planning for the RSC.
“The parks [Capital Improvement Sales Tax] was never intended to fund the construction of the [RSC], which always required an additional bond offering,” said Ford.

Park build planned in two phases
The park itself was expected and conveyed to be constructed in two phases, with the first said to be completed by summer 2024 and totaling about $15 million. The RSC was to include 10 baseball fields, 12 pickleball courts, playgrounds, walking trails, and a nature center available for community use. The city has already purchased the land that the RSC would be built upon for a sum of $3.2 million. The 136 acres along James River Freeway will be kept by the city and treated as an investment, said Parks.
The RSC was originally modeled after a different park in Elizabethtown, Ky., known as E-Town Sports, and was to be built similarly. City officials, including Keeling, took a tour of this facility, deciding that they wanted to bring that same magic to Republic citizens. The voters agreed.
Financing an issue
The reason for putting the project on hold, according to Parks, comes from financial limitations. He said that the income created from the tax has plateaued since its passing, bringing in less than was expected. This, in combination with the prices of the projects increasing as time goes on, makes the project unfeasible from a financial standpoint. Per Parks, the bond brings in an income of about $1 million per year, but after debt payments, the real income is more like $400,000 a year. In order to fund the huge undertaking, the city would have to borrow a large sum of money or save that $400,000 until they have enough to move forward. The original plan was to borrow the sum, but that is something the city is no longer comfortable with.
“The city of Republic currently does not have any appetite for additional debt,” said Parks.
“The RSC project is currently on hold due to funding limitations and the need for a stronger understanding of its long-term financial viability,” said Ford. “Before moving forward, a detailed business plan will be developed to assess market demand, operating costs, and competition from nearby facilities.”
Citizens who thought they were voting to fund the creation of a large sports complex will, at least temporarily, have to settle for the other park projects funded with their tax money—a new farmer’s market area under construction at J.R. Martin Park and a vast extension to the Republic Aquatic Center recently completed.

On hold, will re-evaluate in future
Though the first phase was originally set to be finished by 2024, there are currently no plans to construct the RSC any time soon, with Parks’ statement reading that they would reevaluate its market demand, operating costs, and competition from nearby facilities despite obvious voter support.
“The city will also continue evaluating the RSC annually through the Capital Improvement Plan process and will revisit the project when financial conditions, community demand, operating capacity, and overall benefits are better aligned,” said Parks.

Mayor speaks on sports complex issue
When asked whether this hold would degrade trust between the voter and the city government, Republic Mayor Eric Franklin stood by the decision.
“As public servants, we understand that a delay on a promised project can certainly cause people to question that trust,” he said. “However, I want to assure the community that this indefinite delay is an action guided by our vision to always do the right thing at the right time for the right reason.”