Multi-purpose year-round athletic facility planned in Rogers

The Rogers City Council has approved an agreement with Terra General Contractors, LLC for preconstruction services for the Rogers Indoor Athletic Facility.

The estimated cost for the services is $30,000 to $50,000.

City officials are planning to construct a multipurpose year-round synthetic turf athletic facility to be used for soccer, baseball, lacrosse, football, hockey dryland training, walking, and exercise, according to a memo from Rogers Public Works director and city engineer Doran Cote.

“The current site for the facility, next to the Rogers Activity Center (RAC), has been graded and the site is building pad ready for a 97,500-square-foot turf facility as well as an RAC expansion to include a second sheet of ice,” Cote’s memo said. “The turf facility is intended to be designed such that a future connection to the second sheet of ice is possible.”

Design options created previously with JLG Architects and estimated by Terra all exceeded $10 million available from the local option sales tax for the project, Cote’s memo said.

The council agreed on Nov. 14, 2023, to amend its current contract with Terra Construction to include construction management services for the indoor turf facility.

“On Dec. 12, after a City Council workshop with Rogers Youth Athletic Association (RYHA), the City Council agreed to pause progress on the turf facility for up to two months in hopes that RYHA would have more clarity on their fundraising efforts,” Cote said. “They are trying to raise money to bring a great asset to the community,” he said, adding that city officials still are committed to a second sheet of ice.

He told the council last week that the material construction costs for the options have not “significantly decreased.”

“The labor costs have gotten more competitive over this same time,” Cote said.

Mayor Rick Ihli noted that the City Council has talked about the issue “numerous times,” adding that the local option sales tax was intended to provide the funds to redo projects for the citizens.

“This is an important piece,” Ihli said. “We asked the citizens what they wanted, and this was part of it. I’m excited to get it going.”