An 80-acre “cornfield” east of Williamsport is being transformed into a regional sports and recreation complex. Our venues will sponsor a variety of amateur club team sports competitions, attracting participants and families from the neighboring states and beyond.
Opportunies Unlimited
Background
The Generations Sports Complex is a public-private development in northeastern Pennsylvania, approximately one half-mile west of a regional shopping combine. Here, an 80-acre “cornfield” east of Williamsport is being transformed into a regional sports and recreation complex through a collaborative commitment by Opportunities Unlimited, a non-profit charitable organization, and a partnership of private entrepreneurs.
In addition to fulfilling diverse community quality of life needs, the Generations Sports Complex concurrently affords a tremendous stimulus for economic development in the surrounding area. Current/future planned venues at the Complex will sponsor a variety of amateur club team sports competitions expected to attract participants and families to the community from throughout neighboring states. Further, the synergy of the Generations Sports Complex in proximity to the regional mall is anticipated to stimulate major new economic development in private lodging, food and guest service facilities.
Generations Sports Complex
In 2005, a partnership of entrepreneurs known as the Turkey Run Partners nurtured a vision to use land owned by the partnership to create a convenient, safe sports and recreation enclave where a variety of wholesome, quality activities will be available to youth and families throughout the region. These private developers combined with the Boards of Directors for three nonprofit organizations — Opportunities Unlimited, the Eastern Lycoming Branch YMCA and the River Valley Regional YMCA — to transform an unimproved, “green-field” site into a sports and recreation complex.
Structured legally under a joint venture agreement, these organizations established a joint operating board to manage the new venture—Generations Sports Complex—focused upon enhancing quality of life and youth development for area residents, and to promote economic development for attracting new industry. Ultimately, the private partners for the Complex have pledged to donate the entire 80 acres to nonprofit ownership.
Presently, the Generations Sports Complex is being developed as a public-private partnership over time, in phases. The schematic below depicts the site development.
Click here to launch a .pdf file of the site plan.
Phase I
Phase I is already underway; the private developers funded the initial site work to create water, sewer, storm-water management, a main entrance into the Complex, service roads and parking.
Additionally, $4.8 million in private funding stimulated the construction of the first venue, a new, 135,000 square foot, air-supported multi-purpose sports dome for soccer training, league play and tournaments, as well as for a golf driving range or for hosting flag football, lacrosse, softball, baseball, ultimate Frisbee, field hockey or community events such as Special Olympics, dog trials or model airplane competitions. Now open for operations, the dome is the largest air-supported structure in North America.
A second “anchor property” in Phase I will be a new, 47,000 square foot community center for the Eastern Lycoming YMCA, scheduled to begin construction this spring. The $11.2 million facility will contain a wellness center, elevated running track, natatorium, gymnasium, locker rooms and associated program spaces. Private gift dollars and grant funding by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania comprise more than $9.2 million of the required funding. The private developers contributed the 15-acre site and site preparation costs to underwrite the project.
Discussions continue toward finalizing arrangements with Susquehanna Health, the community’s major regional medical center, regarding co-location of a physical/occupational therapy and sports medicine treatment facility adjacent to the YMCA community center. Here patients can be afforded convenient access to the YMCA’s pool, exercise track and cardiovascular equipment. This arrangement enables the capital cost of clinic construction to be more economical to the health care provider while concurrently offering the potential to reduce the cost of services for clients.
Phase I will also contain a number of outdoor fields for soccer and other sports. These fields will support organized play by area soccer teams at a variety of levels. The Williamsport-Lycoming Community Foundation has invited submission of a formal grant for the construction of two irrigated, lighted and fenced fields. One is envisioned to use natural turf and the other an artificial surface. These first two quality playing fields are anticipated to cost approximately $1.5 million.
Contact us
Opportunities Unlimited
Daniel A. Klingerman, President
1500 Sycamore Dr., Suite 120
Montoursville, PA 17754
570.327.0111
570.327.5565 - fax
dak-ki (at) comcast.net
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