Rochester City Council Approves $52 Million in Spending for New Sports Complex

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- The Rochester City Council approved $52 million in spending on the construction of the new Rochester Regional Sports Complex. 

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In 2023, Rochester voters approved the use of $65 million in city sales tax revenues to fund the project in 2023.

The plans for the complex feature eight baseball/softball fields, two rectangular multi-use sports fields, 12 pickleball courts, an outdoor basketball court and a central concessions and restrooms building. 

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The facility, which is set to be constructed east of the Shoppes on Maine in southeast Rochester, will also include a central gathering space, a regional park playground, and walking and biking trails. 

The city had spent $7.7 million on the complex prior to Monday night’s vote. 

Rochester City Council Approves $28 Million Construction Contract, $24 Million Materials Purchasing Budget for Regional Sports Complex

On a 5-2 vote Monday night, the elected leaders approved awarding a Guaranteed Maximum Price contract totaling nearly $28 million to Knutson Construction of Rochester to build the new sports facility. 

The City Council also approved a budget of more than $24 million for the purchase of tax-exempt materials needed for the project. 

Council members also approved using $1.7 million from sales tax–supported economic vitality dollars to prevent cutting artificial turf on the rectangular fields, construction of basketball courts, dugout roofs, sideline netting, and additional shade structures. 

Those amenities were axed from the proposal to keep the project within budget, according to city documents. 

The council also approved installing artificial turf on four of the baseball diamond outfields and two quad bathrooms in the project if additional funds are available. Those costs have been estimated at $3.3 million. 

City documents indicate the potential funding sources include money left over from the contingency budget and the sale of unneeded land that was acquired for the project. 

Councilmembers Nick Miller and Dan Doering were the nay votes. Miller shared concerns that getting the project within budget could compromise the viability and create a financial risk for the city. 

Doering echoed Miller’s concerns and said he had heard from community members who felt they have not been listened to and are worried about community access to the facility. 

The current schedule calls for construction of the outdoor complex to begin next April with completion in the spring of 2028.