Copperas Cove Seeks Public Input on Sports Complex Feasibility Study

Copperas Cove Parks & Recreation is asking residents to weigh in on a proposed sports complex that could cost roughly $28 million to build, with the city's capital improvement plan already earmarking $2 million for design and $26 million for construction of a facility at Ogletree Gap Park.

The department opened an online survey through the city's website at 914 South Main Street and hosted a Community Vision Open House on Feb. 24 at the Copperas Cove Civic Center, a come-and-go session running from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. where coaches, families, and athletes could review preliminary concepts and share ideas for what they want to see in a future complex. Residents who could not attend can still complete the survey by contacting the city at 254-547-4221 or visiting the Parks & Recreation page online.

The project, as outlined in the capital improvement plan, would place playing fields and an indoor natatorium at Ogletree Gap Park. The Copperas Cove city council directed administration to pursue a feasibility study in March 2024, and city officials have been clear that any construction funding would require voter approval through a general obligation bond election. The $28 million figure reflects 2024 estimates, and the city has acknowledged that current or future pricing could change those numbers significantly.

City Manager Ryan Haverlah has framed the stakes of the feasibility study bluntly. "If we were just wanting to add additional sports fields, we don't need a $28 million complex. We can go out, move dirt around ourselves, and try to build a complex," Haverlah said. "It'll take longer, it won't be as professional, and it will not allow us the opportunity to bring in revenue which are primarily through tournaments. Mr. (Jeff) Stoddard and I've had a number of conversations about that. He understands that with those two projects, from my perspective, in order to ask council and then subsequently to ask our voters to approve such projects, we need to be able to establish the case."

Haverlah's comments came in the context of two capital projects the city views as needing demonstrated business purpose before advancing: the sports complex and a reconstruction of the golf course pro shop. His argument is that a $28 million investment only makes fiscal sense if the complex can generate revenue, primarily by hosting tournaments that draw outside visitors and spending into the local economy.

The feasibility study process is designed to build that case, or to reveal whether the numbers support it. Public input gathered through the survey and the open house will inform what facilities and programs residents want, giving planners a clearer picture of community demand before any bond question goes to voters.