Curry sports complex priced

A proposed 26,480 square foot sports complex for Curry County has been priced at just over $17.7 million.

Details were released in a Master Plan by Vigil & Associates Architectural Group of Albuquerque. Plans were set for review during the Curry County Commission’s regular meeting on Tuesday.

Items before the commission included whether to make the complex one or two stories and where it will be located.

The complex would feature 12,000 square feet for gymnasium courts, a 2,000 square foot fitness room, 600 square feet for a rock climbing gym, 900 square feet for a multipurpose room and 3,250 square feet for an elevated running track.

Three location options for the sports complex have been proposed in the Master Plan: The Curry County Fairgrounds west of the Events Center, Clovis’ Hillcrest Park or some vacant land near Parkview Elementary School in Clovis.

The pros of the fairgrounds site is 59% of residents surveyed support building on the fairgrounds, Curry County already owns the property and it is one of the larger sites.

The cons of the fairgrounds site are accessibility walking or bicycle riding due to nearby railroad tracks, access to the complex might be limited during fair events and its distance limits access to city facilities.

The positive points of the Hillcrest Park site are many residents already go to Hillcrest Park, those surveyed felt the new complex should be where existing facilities are and Hillcrest has fields, courts and an aquatic center.

Negative points about Hillcrest Park include Curry County does not own the land, building the complex would cause a loss of the park’s land and greenery, it’s a small site and “parking could be an issue” according to the report.

The Parkview Elementary property’s pros are it’s potentially the largest site, it’s close to Hillcrest Park and within walking distance of neighborhoods.

The cons are the county does not own the land and nearby residents might not like having the facility close to their neighborhood.

The Master Plan details how data for the sports complex was gathered through meetings with Curry County, the city of Clovis and Clovis Municipal Schools as well as a Nov. 7 public meeting where participants were surveyed.

It was learned that 65% of those surveyed spent four to six hours every week in physical activities such as personal fitness, volleyball and basketball.

Of those surveyed, 25% said they’d like to see the sports complex built anywhere as long as it is safe and accessible.

The Master Plan was developed not only to present to the Curry County Commissioners and administration but also to present to the state Legislature during the upcoming 60-day session for funding requests as the commissioners discussed at an October commission session.