Also among the potential bidders was Ripken Baseball LLC, which operates youth baseball facilities throughout the United States, including the well-known Ripken Experience complex in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
The Westfield Redevelopment Commission issued a request for proposals Thursday, seeking “proposals from qualified respondents interested in purchasing the sports campus … or in entering a public-private agreement to operate Grand Park.”
Matt Trnian has worked in various management positions at Grand Park Sports Campus since its opening in 2014.
The city of Westfield and Grand Park announced a framework last month to let commercial and institutional organizations use the 400-acre athletic facility as a research lab and product-testing ground.
The Grand Park Research & Development Hub will use the 400-acre youth sports campus as a testing ground for new technologies, services and research projects related to facilities and activities in the sports tourism industry.
The Westfield Redevelopment Commission voted 3-2 Monday to retroactively approve what previously had been an informal agreement with the company that manages the ball diamonds at Grand Park Sports Campus.
A state-level review of Westfield’s 2018 finances found city officials failed to comply with state laws and guidelines when they entered into an informal agreement with Bullpen Tournaments.
William Knox has been in the sports industry for more than two decades, but nothing he’s experienced was comparable to the challenges he faced this year as director of the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield.
Consultants from three different firms on Tuesday conducted a special presentation for the Westfield City Council about their investigation into the city’s finances and operations.
Two resolutions approved Monday by the Westfield City Council call for a more thorough probe of Grand Park’s finances after a council member alleged one of the park’s contractors had diverted $470,000 away from the city.
The move by Mayor Andy Cook follows a controversy in July over contracts for Grand Park Sports Campus and his veto of a city council resolution for review and approval of all Grand Parks contracts.
Mayor Andy Cook passively vetoed a Westfield City Council-approved resolution Thursday by not signing the measure, meaning proposed additional oversight of Grand Park’s contracts will not take effect unless the resolution is approved a second time by the council.
The Westfield City Council on Monday eliminated Grand Park admission fees for city residents and imposed new oversight of park contracts after a council member alleged the group in charge of baseball operations had diverted almost a half-million dollars from the city.
All 32 NFL teams have been told by Commissioner Roger Goodell to hold training camps at their home facilities this summer because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the expected economic impact to the region is high, Westfield officials say they don’t expect the closure to have a game-changing impact on the city’s budget.
A Westfield developer’s plans for 68 acres next to Grand Park include a major planetarium and space science center, laser tag venue, jump park, bowling alley, indoor/outdoor go-kart track and driving school.
Westfield-based Henke Development Group, which helped the city develop Grand Park, plans to spend $77 million developing Championship Park, a commercial development on land next to the sports park. A hotel could also be part of the project.
City officials say Grand Park is just starting to show its full promise, and they’re hopeful the TIF district generates enough revenue by 2023 to fully cover Grand Park’s debt payments.
The city of Westfield has quietly used its Grand Junction tax increment financing fund to begin settling a lease disagreement with NinjaZone, which comes after the inaugural Colts Camp at Grand Park last summer took over the events center because of inclement weather.
With three days remaining, the Colts camp has already received more visitors than it did in its final year at Anderson University. But the crowd numbers are still well below what they reached early this decade.
