Plans for City’s Sixth Park – Finch Creek Park – Also Move Forward
The Noblesville Common Council approved the agreement with Klipsch-Card Athletic Facilities LLC to build the Noblesville Fieldhouse at Finch Creek Park during its December 20 meeting. Initial plans for the $15 million, 130,000-square-foot youth sports facility were announced on November 29.
“This is an exciting day for the City of Noblesville. I appreciate the vision of the Noblesville Common Council members to address a need that benefits our community’s youth sports clubs and the positive impact this project will have for our local businesses. I also want to thank our partners at Klipsch-Card Athletic Facilities LLC for working with us to create a state-of-the-art facility like the Noblesville Fieldhouse. We can’t wait to get started on Finch Creek Park and the Fieldhouse and what opportunities and experiences it will bring to the east side of our city.”
Mayor John Ditslear
Since the November 29 announcement, officials worked out a new financial deal as part of its public-private partnership agreement that removes $300,000 of the city’s annual commitment. The new terms agreed to by both sides include:
- $300,000 annually in Property Tax for 20 years.
- $250,000 annually from the Corporate Campus East TIF for 20 years.
- Sell 10 acres of land for $500,000 – which is just 5 percent of the total Finch Creek Park property of 203 acres.
- Klipsch-Card is responsible for renting facility 100 percent of the time
“Rather than having the City commit to or having specific time available during the week, we would allow Klipsch-Card to have 100 percent of the time available with the guarantee that any Noblesville-based organization/club/501c(3) receive a 25 percent discount on the rental rate of the facility during the week. This means there will be no revenue sharing as Klipsch-Card will capture 100 percent of the revenues and the City reduces our annual commitment in the deal by $300,000.”
Mayor John Ditslear
This project does not provide a tax abatement. Klipsch-Card is responsible for paying all capital (construction), operating, and maintenance costs.
“Had the land remained only a city park, there would be zero property tax dollars generated, so this project nearly pays for itself,” said Ditslear. “In return, Noblesville gains a first-rate youth sports complex that will support local youth sports, attract athletic tournaments from outside our region and bring greater tourism spending to support our community including hotels, restaurants, and retail businesses.”
The city has been in discussions since spring with Mike Klipsch and Andy Card, co-presidents and CEOs of Klipsch-Card Athletic Facilities LLC. Their plan for the Noblesville Fieldhouse, includes five hardwood courts, 75,000 square feet of indoor turf, and a 10,000-square-foot physical therapy office. At the Council meeting, Card announced plans for a potential 200-meter indoor track that will surround the turf fields and be approved by USA Track and Field, which makes hosting indoor track and field events a possibility.
Card said that since the announcement, they have received interest from a volleyball club with 100 teams, baseball teams and tournaments, an international soccer academy, flag football organization, a Futsal League, and if Noblesville could become the international Pickleball headquarters.
“Baseball, volleyball, and track will be the prominent sports,” he said. “Noblesville Fieldhouse will be different than anything else in the country. It will be so unique and set Noblesville apart from anything else in the youth sports industry.”
The Noblesville Fieldhouse helps jumpstart the construction of the City’s sixth park on the east side of Noblesville near Klipsch Music Center, Hamilton Town Center, and Exit 210. The 203-acre Finch Creek Park, which will be built out in phases, is bordered by Boden Road on the east and East 166th Street to the north.
Budgeted at $8.9 million for construction of phase I, Finch Creek Park is expected to break ground in late spring 2017 and begin with the southeast portion just north of the Blue Ridge Creek neighborhood development on Boden Road. The cost of construction includes all utility relocations, infrastructure, roads, parking, play areas, landscape, lighting, and more.
“As the first public park on the east side, we’re excited to move forward with Finch Creek Park and address the needs of the growing population out there,” said Noblesville Parks Director Brandon Bennett. “Fifty-six percent of the Noblesville housing permits are east of State Road 37. The City’s five current parks are all located west of 37 so those residents on the east side of town do not have park amenities in close proximity to their homes. Thankfully, in the near future, all of Noblesville will be able to enjoy all of Finch Creek Park’s green space with active and passive areas.”
Bennett said the anticipated park amenities included in the first phase of construction include three shelters, a restroom, age-appropriate playgrounds, a spray ground, basketball and pickleball courts, park parking lots, a large berm utilized as a play feature, trail connections, and a maintenance facility.
