HENDERSON, Ky. − A permit for construction of the first phase of the new city sports complex at 5845 Airline Road and the second-biggest month this year for new home construction topped the list of building permits issued here in June.

Arc Construction Co. Inc. of Evansville received a $10.5 million new commercial construction permit for the start of construction on the sports complex. Grading work has been visible from the Audubon Parkway since it began this spring, but the building permit wasn’t required for that portion of work.

The complex is expected to be ready for play by the spring or summer of 2024, according to city officials.

The Henderson Board of Commissioners awarded a contract in November 2022 to Arc for construction of four 200-foot baseball/softball fields with chain link dugouts; one soccer/football/multipurpose field that will feature goal posts and will be available for youth football; irrigation for all five fields; one block concession stand in the middle of the four baseball fields; a maintenance building; six batting cages; gravel parking lots for the ball fields; a concrete seating picnic area; grading and drainage and other improvements.

However, the city Board of Commissioners has been investigating adding other features before play begins next year, including two additional multipurpose fields; lighting for the four baseball fields; paving the parking lots; construction of a press box and playground area; and installing artificial turf. Some of those features were part of the original bid request last year but had to be temporarily trimmed when bids came in higher than hoped.

The four baseball fields will become the new home for PCMA boys baseball. But when not being used by PCMA, they can be available for other organizations. For example, because they will have portable pitching mounds and variable base lengths, they can also be used for girls softball.

“A reservation policy is still being drafted and will be subject to approval by the Board of Commissioners,” city officials said in a statement. “However, the general intent is for these to be public fields that can be used by anyone subject to the terms of a reservation/rental agreement.”

“Depending on the requested use, type of organization (i.e. for-profit vs. non-profit), number of requests, etc., there may or may not be a fee associated with reserving the fields,” the statement declared.

Meanwhile, six permits for new single-family residences — three each in the city and county — were awarded, the second-most since eight housing starts were approved in April. That compares with seven housing starts in June 2022.

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Through the first half of 2023, permits were issued for 25 new houses, compared with 19 during the same period in 2022.

Among commercial construction projects were a new $120,000 building at 220 N. Ingram St. by AVP Inc. and a $49,000 remodeling project at the Fifth Third Bank building at 301 Second St.

Because of the sports complex project, the value of all building permits issued here last month totaled $13.1 million, the most by far of any month this year. That compares with $2.8 million in June 2022.

So far this year, building permits have totaled $28.7 million, compared with $154.7 million during the first half of 2022, which included large permits for construction of the Pratt Paper complex on the Kentucky 425/South Bypass and the new Henderson Municipal Power & Light office and service center on Barret Boulevard behind the Walmart Supercenter.

Here are the building permits issued here last month:

June 2023

City of Henderson

Commercial range hood/exhaust system: Nicolas LLC, 207 Letcher St., Suite A, $20,000.

Commercial addition: New Hope Animal Rescue Center Inc., 526 Atkinson St., $32,000.

Commercial new construction: AVP Inc., 220 N. Ingram St., $120,000; and Arc Construction Co. Inc., 5845 Airline Road, $10.5 million.

Commercial remodeling: Core Contractors, 301 Second St., $49,000.

Commercial demolition: Audubon Holdings LLC., 2808 Browns Dr., $14,000.

Single-family residential accessory: Shayna Lee Winters, 316 Yeaman Ave., $7,000; Celerina Bazante, 607 Seventh St., $5,000; S.O. Alvarado and D.B. Maldonado, 1016 First St., $1,000; Audra Hargiss, 213 Rooney Dr., $8,000; Sue and Willie Ruby, 518 Seventh St., $0.01; Wanda Majors, 2617 Catalena Dr., $0.01; Joni Alena Grindall, 1939 Brenda Dr., $0.01; and Jackie Chambers, 2012 Brenda Dr., $0.01.

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Single-family residential addition: Popham Construction Inc., 210 Hancock St., $18,000.

Single-family new residential construction: Heath A. and Sarah Elizabeth Cox, 505 Hickory Wood Ct., $529,335; Joe Mattingly Builders Inc., 1834 Old Madisonville Road #108, $299,000; and Craig A. and Shasta P. Norman, 2410 Cobblestone Dr., $250,000.

Single-family residential remodel: Stone’s Construction, 48 S. Alvasia, $80,000.

Signs: James C. and Kathryn L. Terrell, 331 Ninth St., $1,441; Henderson Property Associates LLC, 1111 Barret Blvd.. $1,595; Latta, et al, 2600 Zion Road, $4,465; Husk Signs, 110 Third St., $1,500; and Alvey’s Sign Co., 3113 U.S. 41-North, $4,464.

Total: $11.9 million

Henderson County

New residences: Kirk & Jill Rager, 10058 Kentucky 1078-North, $397,594; Kevin and Heather Chandler, 9325 Thomason Road, $554,680; and Wes Mills, 14326 U.S. 41-Alternate, $210,000.

Manufactured homes: Scott Keach, 8258 Airline Road, $10,000; and Sarah Larue, 8928 Old U.S. 60, $11,000.

Garage/utility building: Jamie Willett, 1116 Powell St., $14,500.

Total: $1.2 million

This article originally appeared on Henderson Gleaner: Sports complex tops new construction in Henderson, Kentucky