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Thread: Ruston's sports complex

  1. #31
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    Re: Ruston's sports complex

    Quote Originally Posted by PawDawg View Post
    Ruston-Sterlington comparison does not make for a good argument against the Ruston complex.

    More public housing or a sports complex? We see what happens when public housing is the choice of the voters.
    Supporters of the Natch Complex are saying we shouldn't be compared to Sterlington either. Their argument is Sterlington dropped the ball on maintenance, upgrades, continued improvements and thus folks (teams) no longer found it an attractive place to play. Yet! our geniuses in Natch launched a $15 million build without a plan/means to provide for maintenance, upgrades, continued improvements. That's the reason the goofy mayor/city council are embroiled in a controversy over increased sales taxes...for the already highest sales tax rate in the state, save maybe for N.O.. And why they tried to sneak through increases in water/sewage charges on city utility bills.

    If these sport complexes are so wonderful, such awesome revenue generators, then strictly (zero tax dollars) private endeavors would/should undertake them. But...that never happens. Why? Because they are white elephants doomed to LOSE HUGE money for those condemned to support them. The private sector is only a gazillion times smarter than your average elected politicians and the cluless voters/taxpayers who enable them.

    Oh! sure, many (most) local businesses will benefit from them. Of course they will, and why not? And yes, that will yield some additional revenue in taxes to the local government. But, as the numbers clearly show, in Natch's case, that additional tax revenue will trickle in taking 93 years to repay the $15 million that was already in the local government's coffers. Hello!

  2. #32
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    Re: Ruston's sports complex

    Yes, more hatcheries is the way to go if a community wants to turn over a dollar. ��

  3. #33
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    Re: Ruston's sports complex

    just thinking aloud, couldn't most of the arguments against the sports complex be made concerning Louisiana Tech and its athletic programs and the view that maybe all need to be canned? Argument might could be made that the complex is going to help the bottom line of hotels and restaurants more than the events at tech will.
    Last edited by Choudawg86; 12-30-2019 at 04:34 PM.


  4. #34
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    Re: Ruston's sports complex

    Quote Originally Posted by Choudawg86 View Post
    just thinking aloud, couldn't most of the arguments against the sports complex be made concerning Louisiana Tech and its athletic programs and the view that maybe all need to be canned? Argument might could be made that the complex is going to help the bottom line of hotels and restaurants more than the events at tech will.
    You make a good point. Fortunately these things are measurable. At least roughly.

    Some of us are still waiting on the C/B analysis on which the SEZ / pressbox projects were based. The best reason we ever got was "High school boys are mighty impressed by high-roller suites and cushy press accommodations that they will probably never see again"

  5. #35
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    Re: Ruston's sports complex

    Quote Originally Posted by Choudawg86 View Post
    just thinking aloud, couldn't most of the arguments against the sports complex be made concerning Louisiana Tech and its athletic programs and the view that maybe all need to be canned? Argument might could be made that the complex is going to help the bottom line of hotels and restaurants more than the events at tech will.
    is there a millage supporting Tech? If so, was it voted upon by the local citizenry?

  6. #36
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    Re: Ruston's sports complex

    Quote Originally Posted by skilldawg View Post
    is there a millage supporting Tech? If so, was it voted upon by the local citizenry?
    not to my knowledge.

    Is that a requirement for public accountability?

  7. #37
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    Re: Ruston's sports complex

    My son's team played a tournament at the facility this past weekend. We've been in travel baseball for about a year and a half now, and Big League Dreams near Dallas is the only facility that we've played in that is as nice as the Ruston Sports Complex. It's certainly first class.

    For those that are curious about the economic impact, there were 41 teams playing there this weekend, with some coming from Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Also some from locations within Louisiana where you would expect them to stay in a hotel. I know a couple of kids on our team stayed in hotels this weekend. We drove over both days.

  8. #38
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    Re: Ruston's sports complex

    Quote Originally Posted by Dowty View Post
    My son's team played a tournament at the facility this past weekend. We've been in travel baseball for about a year and a half now, and Big League Dreams near Dallas is the only facility that we've played in that is as nice as the Ruston Sports Complex. It's certainly first class.

    For those that are curious about the economic impact, there were 41 teams playing there this weekend, with some coming from Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Also some from locations within Louisiana where you would expect them to stay in a hotel. I know a couple of kids on our team stayed in hotels this weekend. We drove over both days.
    I have to piggy'back on this with a similar comment from a friend. The granddaughter my friend plays on a team from Shrev that was playing at the Ruston Complex. She commented that of all the places they have played the only ones that come close to being as nice are in Dallas and Houston.


  9. #39
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    Re: Ruston's sports complex

    I can't speak about the complex in Ruston, since I don't know the details of its funding, etc....I did watch a Rick Rowe special on it some months back. But, I can speak on the one in Natchitoches. Its cost has reached $18 million, and they're not finished yet. $11 million was moved from the city's infrastructure emergency fund, another $3 million was raised thru bonds, and the remainder from various sources, most with a hidden price tag. When the complex was first proposed the mayor and his little committee said increased revenues from sales tax, hotel tax, etc would be a windfall for Natchitoches, and folks bought in. But, because of laws requiring full disclosure, the supporters did produce a plan, a business plan, with all the details in it....in very small print and no one called attention to it. Ya see, the city i.e. taxpayers were only going to see a return on the increases of such taxes and fees. Natchitoches already enjoys a robust tourist industry with 600 hotel rooms, and average occupancy running at 80% on weekends, and all the restaurants do well too. So, the real ROI was the DIFFERENCE between what the city was already getting and what the sports' complex would be directly responsible for. Well, in their report they showed it would take 93 years to recoup the $11 million taken from the city's budget. And now the cost is swelling to $18 million....taxpayers would have been better off just leaving that money be. Little wonder streets are crumbling, the water and sewer systems are jokes...don't drink Natchitoches water.

    "Play ball!"

  10. #40
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    Re: Ruston's sports complex

    Quote Originally Posted by dawg80 View Post
    Well, in their report they showed it would take 93 years to recoup the $11 million taken from the city's budget. And now the cost is swelling to $18 million....taxpayers would have been better off just leaving that money be.

    "Play ball!"
    It'll be interesting to see over time if this new complex in Natchitoches leads to the construction of more hotels. If not, it could easily drive out the traditional tourist from this region who wants to take a long weekend and enjoy the town but now can't find accommodations.

  11. #41
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    Re: Ruston's sports complex

    Quote Originally Posted by The Historian View Post
    It'll be interesting to see over time if this new complex in Natchitoches leads to the construction of more hotels. If not, it could easily drive out the traditional tourist from this region who wants to take a long weekend and enjoy the town but now can't find accommodations.
    There is acreage at the I-49 interchange available that would suit new hotel construction. And, yeah, there probably will be another hotel or two opening up...eventually. Right now in Natchitoches, as elsewhere, the effects of the C-19 virus crisis hoax has destroyed many businesses, including tourist-oriented ones, like restaurants. Four established restaurants have closed for good. Two smaller/lesser establishments have also closed. In addition, tourist-oriented businesses have been shutting down permanently, including the Alligator Park and several longtime, successful, gift shops.

    But! the market abhors a vacuum, so, something will fill the voids.

  12. #42
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    Re: Ruston's sports complex

    Cost of the Ruston complex is somewhere well north of $30 million.

  13. #43
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    Re: Ruston's sports complex

    Quote Originally Posted by RhinoDawg View Post
    Cost of the Ruston complex is somewhere well north of $30 million.
    Oh Lord! please don't let our mayor get wind of that. He'll pilfer another $12 million of taxpayers' money just to try to keep up.

    The Natchitoches' costs probably have exceeded the reported $18 million anyway. Mayor Posey started hiding some of the costs, such as the $million+ adding turning lanes into the complex off of state Hwy 6. And then the special lighting added. None of those costs were directly tied to the complex...just hidden in the highway department's budget. But everyone knows, OBVIOUSLY!, given the location of it.

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