Copperas Cove Hires Consultant to Boost Rhode Park Fundraising Efforts

Pam Owens had one message for Copperas Cove City Council Thursday: her firm won't move forward until it understands what residents actually want. The council gave her $100,000 to find out.

Council members voted April 3 to approve an agreement with Edge Of Your Seat Consulting, the firm Owens represents, to lead fundraising and campaign consulting for the Edgar H. Rhode Park development. The 18-month engagement is the opening financial commitment in what city planners project as a roughly $34 million project, and the consultant's findings will determine how aggressively the city pursues private donations to fund it.

The $100,000 fee was pre-budgeted in the city's FY 2025-2026 operating budget, meaning the expense was anticipated before the consultant was selected. What the money buys is a staged process: a feasibility study and readiness assessment come first, followed by systems and infrastructure design, messaging and case development, stakeholder alignment, and formal prospect identification and donor strategy.

That sequence matters because the $34 million figure assumes heavy reliance on philanthropic giving and donated professional services, not general fund appropriations or new taxes. A roster of private-sector firms has already contributed to early planning, including CEI Engineering, Cutright & Prihoda Architects, Mammoth Sports Construction, Gallagher Construction Management, Kompan Playgrounds, Water Play Solutions Corp., Chris Alford Graphic Designs, and Cinemagic. The scope of those in-kind contributions signals genuine private-sector appetite, but the feasibility study will test whether that interest can scale into the multi-million-dollar commitments the full plan requires.

"We don't move until we feel like we really understand the community needs and the community wants and the ideas," Owens told council members.

Rhode Park carries the name of Edgar H. Rhode, a longtime Copperas Cove civic leader and former mayor. The city's 2020 Parks Master Plan identified the site for improvements including adaptive-use sports fields and additional recreational amenities. The current consulting contract is the first major step toward translating that plan into a funded capital campaign.

If the feasibility work returns favorable results, the city and its partners could launch formal fundraising solicitations, begin major gifts cultivation, and recruit campaign leadership. If the review flags obstacles, the city faces harder choices: scaling back the project scope, pursuing additional public funding, or phasing construction to match available capital.