Decision expected Dec. 21 on Lake Wylie, Fort Mill fields

A final decision on new sports fields in Lake Wylie and Fort Mill should come Dec. 21.

The county finance and operations committee heard cases Oct. 5 for two projects – a recreation complex on Crowders Creek in Lake Wylie and new fields beside Riverview Elementary School in Fort Mill. The county hospitality tax advisory committee recommended $4.9 million for the Lake Wylie project and $3.2 million in Fort Mill.

The group will meet Nov. 2 and Nov. 16 to decide on the proposals before a final meeting in December.

“We will vote, up or down, these out of committee on Dec. 7,” said Councilman Michael Johnson, finance and operations chairman. “So they will be before (County Council) on Dec. 21.”

The Lake Wylie plan, now called the York County Sports Complex, dates to the county acquiring 50 acres in 2007. The more recent Fort Mill plan includes property owned by Fort Mill School District.

Both pitches rely on hospitality tax funding, which comes from a 2 percent charge on food and drink in unincorporated areas.

“The purpose of hospitality tax dollars is to generate tourism revenue,” Johnson said. “That is what the state statute and the county ordinance says. It is not for rec purposes. Recreation fields are a byproduct of building something that can be used for tourism purposes.”

Lake Wylie Athletic Association plans to use the Lake Wylie complex for league play and new tournaments. The Fort Mill School District has outside league contacts wanting to use the space, and also partners to organize tournaments.

Council Chairman Britt Blackwell was part of the school board that built a swimming pool complex in Rock Hill, and the council that approved $1 million in hospitality tax money for the Clover School District aquatic center in Lake Wylie. Blackwell said for these types of projects, he wants to see data on revenue generated by comparable fields.

“I don’t need to hear the propaganda that’s not truth,” he said.

Councilman Bruce Henderson agreed tourism revenue is key, but warned council members not to discount local use of the fields entirely.

“The bottom line is tourism is tourism and generating money is generating money,” Henderson said.

In addition to weekend tournaments, recreation leagues would include families who need a meal before or after practice. For local restaurants that charge the hospitality tax, Henderson sees a ticket during the week as being just as valuable as a ticket on a weekend.

“Through the week, that is still generating H-tax that will be residual, constant and increasing,” he said.

Plus, there’s the case for reverse tourism. Having fields in Lake Wylie might, Henderson said, keep locals from traveling to Gaston or Mecklenburg counties for play.

Planners behind both proposals will make presentations Nov. 2, followed by questions from the finance and operations committee that includes three of seven council members. The committee will spend a half hour at that meeting with the county finance director talking details.

“Money, basically,” Johnson said. “How you fund this if you fund it at all.”

The hospitality tax fund has about $5 million, with about $2 million coming in annually. A bond could bring in up to $10 million more.

York County has no parks and recreation department. Council members have said they aren’t in and don’t want to be in the recreation business.

“We are certainly in the business of creating tourism for our area,” Johnson said.

This story was originally published October 6, 2015 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Decision expected Dec. 21 on Lake Wylie, Fort Mill fields."