Work has begun for Eddie Reeder, the new Project Manager for a proposed Sports Complex in Junction City.

“We are looking to decide, hopefully within the first 90 days whether or not this is going to be a feasible project and then from there we’re going to look at our timeline for obtaining the funding, and land acquisition – where we’re going to put the facility – and from there we’ll be able to assess how we’re going to develop and construct the project, whether we do that in phases or whether we’re able to construct the entire complex at once,” said Reeder.

The plan is to create an outdoor, multi-sport facility that can support baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and football.  Reeder said that early plans are looking at a 40 acre complex, to be open year-round, with some administrative and other buildings attached to possibly host other events.

“I think it’s a great idea [to bring a sports complex to Junction City],” said Reeder. “The Babe Ruth tournament will be hosting the Regionals [here] next year, so we’ll have teams coming from as far away as Canada…and you know they’re bringing these teams here, they’re not bringing them to Topeka, or Kansas City, or Wichita.”

Junction City’s central location in the state and close proximity to Interstate 70 make this an attractive stop for traveling sports teams.

At this stage, Reeder is only interested in if the complex is actually feasible for Junction City; there was a feasibility study done in 2013 that Reeder is revisiting and expanding upon in order to move forward with the project.

“Shortly after that study was done [in 2013] I think the idea [for a sports complex] was put on the backburner, and I think since Dennis Beson came in to the Chamber (Chamber of Commerce CEO) he has a lot of great ideas for the city and sees the sports complex as a strong asset,” said Reeder.

For now, Reeder is revisiting the old feasibility studies and conducting deeper research “to forecast what the revenues and expenditures would be, to see where possible cuts could be made…if it’s not going to draw in a profit then it’s not going to be a worthwhile project.”

Optimism is high for the complex that many see as a way to bring revenue in to Junction City.

“Once we do find out that it’s a possibility and that we’re able to do it, the next step is going to be to try to find the funding – obviously, that’s going to be the biggest challenge and the biggest part of whether or not we’re going to get this to work as well as what the timeline is going to be,” said Reeder.

If the feasibility study is favorable, and the project has sufficient funding there is also talk to save room for future expansion at the site of the sports complex.

Reeder began duties as Project Manager on September 6, 2015.

Reeder was a guest on JC Now on 1420 AM – The Talk of JC Thursday morning, click here for the full audio.