$36 million athletic training complex at Wellington Community Park wins village's initial approval

WELLINGTON — The village has tentatively approved a deal with a private company, led by two professional athletes who grew up nearby, to build a $36 million athletic training facility at Wellington Community Park.

If the village council approves the plan in October, Wellington will fund $33 million of the project through bonds to bring the first multipurpose athletic academy and gym of its kind in Palm Beach County to the site of a once-popular park that has fallen into disrepair.

Once the council grants its final consent and all required building permits are filed, the construction of the complex will take two years.

"We own the property. We maintain ownership of it. They operate it," Anne Gerwig, Wellington's mayor, said of the project with Wellington Athletics LLC. "But then, we get use of it for the community also."

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The new athletic complex, Gerwig said, will address the lack of fields around the village that are available for kids and families to use. It also will serve as an "all-in-one" training center based on paid memberships open to the community. Money from those memberships will help repay the village's bonds.

Aging park in need of a $20 million makeover

Wellington Community Park covers 14 acres along South Shore Boulevard, south of Pierson Road. The park hasn't been renovated since it opened over 30 years ago, said village manager James Barnes, and a makeover would cost around $20 million.

He said its six baseball and softball fields are in poor shape and the building is only used for storage.

The council sought proposals last year to remodel the park, once the home of the Wellington Boys & Girls Club. For the last five years, there hasn't been any village programming at the facility, but groups can still rent the playing areas. The fields are the only ones in Wellington that allow for open play, meaning anyone can show up to play ball without reservations.

"We cut the grass and do some minimal work on the field surfaces, but we're basically waiting to see if the project eventually does materialize and is executed," said Barnes.

Jon Bostic, a linebacker with the National Football League's Washington Commanders, and Devon Travis, who played with the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball, are leading the project through Wellington Athletics LLC, a company created last year for the project.

Patrick O'Donnell, who punts for the Green Bay Packers in the NFL, also joined the group. All of them were standout athletes at Palm Beach Central High School.

"We've always said for years, all the guys, 'How can we give back to these kids?' Because a lot of us made it," Bostic said on June 17 at a village council meeting. "We want to show these kids that, 'You can do it too.' "

Target audience: Teens seeking elite training

The 91,784 square-foot athletic facility will house a baseball and softball academy. The complex would include nine basketball and volleyball courts; a multi-purpose field for baseball, softball and football; five indoor batting cages; a fitness center; and a café.

The target audience will be children and teen athletes that seek specialized training to reach the college and professional levels.

Bostic told the village council on June 14, that he will bring professional coaches for each sport and will have a physical therapist and chiropractor in the facility. A cheerleading team also will lease part of the space for their weekly practices.

"Being able to have access to these trainers is what's going to help these kids have the opportunity," Bostic said. "And all we are asking for is an opportunity."

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Parents of kids and teens interested in joining the baseball and softball academies will pay for individual memberships and specialized services. The gym also will work on a membership basis that will be offered to the community.

Wellington Athletics still hasn't announced the price of the monthly enrollments, but Bostic promised the council it will offer scholarships for families who can't afford them.

Village residents and visitors will have full access to the multi-purpose field seven days a week during operating hours for open play. One indoor basketball court, which also serves as two practice courts, will be open to the public Monday through Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m.; access on weekends will depend on availability.

After 1 p.m. on Saturdays, everyone will have access to the full-size baseball and softball field and throughout the week, neighbors can request to use other facilities.

The athletes also agreed to host all home games for the baseball and softball teams of Palm Beach Central, which doesn't have lighted fields for night games.

Gerwig, whose son played baseball and football throughout middle and high school, said the complex will be a relief for parents who currently need to drive around the county to make sure their kids attend practice and train with professionals to get specialized coaching.

"It really is a lot of work for parents," Gerwig said. "But this facility, they're bringing it all together in one place."

Wellington's first public-private partnership

The project is Wellington's first public-private partnership. The village will contribute $1.5 million dollars for the demolition of the current building and clearing of the fields. It will also request $33 million in bonds to fund most of the cost of the $36 million athletic complex it will own.

Wellington Athletics LLC will lease the grounds and facility from the village for 30 years with the option of two 25-year extensions. Bostic and his partners will invest $3 million to fund the complex for the first three years, after which it is projected to start making a profit, and that money will repay the village for the bonds over the course of 30 years.

"It's an opportunity to provide services to the community and continue to provide facilities for the community, while at the same time, not necessarily burdening the community with the costs of new facilities," said Barnes. "Because it will be offset by the private entity that's partnering with us."

Wellington Athletics LLC will be responsible for maintaining the property and employing the staff for operations. The agreement awaits the final approval of the council, which will hire a consulting firm to do an independent market value analysis.

"We are proceeding carefully," Gerwig said. "This is not a done deal, and we are taking input from the community along the way."

Wellington Athletics projects the facility will make almost $5 million in revenue during its first year and $7.3 million in the third year.

Training center started as a smaller project

The project has grown since it was originally proposed to the council a year ago.

Initially, the athletes proposed a smaller complex to be built in two stages with only two indoor volleyball and a softball field, according to documents submitted to the village. The first stage was estimated to cost around $18 million and the company was to finance $12 million from a private loan.

While the professional athletes involved in the project are known in their sports, Wellington Athletics LLC is a new venture and none of its leaders have experience managing a sports facility. As a result, said Barnes, it could not secure the loan.

Barnes said the village's low debt will help it obtain the bonds, on which it will defer payments for the first three years, where the company's $3 million investment will cover all of the complex's operational costs. By then, the training site should be making lease payments to the village.

The company's plan also projected it will drive $6.4 million of spending to the village the first year it opens, which could go up to $10 million by the fifth year.

"It opens the opportunity for additional compensation that, at the end of the day, not only helps the local athletes here in Wellington and here in Palm Beach County, but ultimately, also helps the county's economy by bringing folks from outside the area," Barnes said.

What readers said about Wellington's $33 million plan

In an online poll, The Palm Beach Post asked readers what they thought of the village's request to issue $33 million in bonds to pay for the project.

As of Monday, 68 people had responded. In all, 42 favored the plan, while 26 opposed it.

Valentina Palm covers Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Loxahatchee and other western communities in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at vpalm@pbpost.com and follow her on Twitter at @ValenPalmB.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Wellington grants initial approval for athletics complex