There’s now a marketing consultant in place that’ll decide whether or not Chelan and Douglas counties want or can assist a regional sports activities advanced.

The Chelan Douglas Port Authority was requested to arrange a feasibility research on a sports activities advanced after curiosity sprang from native governments.

Stacie de Mestre with the Port Authority says the consulting agency Berrydunn was in a position to zero in on what wanted to be the main focus of the research.

“They need to determine what the community wants,” mentioned de Mestre. “Do we want a community asset, or do we want a sports tourism asset, something that’s going to draw people. Or can we achieve a mix of both.”

A subcommittee selected Berrydunn out of three finalists to conduct the research over the following eight months.

There’s additionally a invoice transferring by way of the state legislature that will pave the way in which for a regional sports activities advanced in Chelan and Douglas counties.

The invoice is now going by way of the committee course of within the House after passing unanimously within the Senate. It’s being sponsored by Senator Brad Hawkins of East Wenatchee.

The idea for having a regional facility was launched by Hawkins after complaints over the price of sustaining the City of Wenatchee’s getting old public pool.

De Mestre mentioned Berrydun was additionally chosen over the opposite two finalists as a result of it displayed an understanding of what would work within the two-county space.

“They really understood what we were looking for,” de Mestre mentioned. “And they had a lot of experience in similar markets, meaning like rural areas that have a little bit of a metro center, such as us.”

Al three finalists got seven totally different speaking factors to concentrate on of their presentation:

Market expertise working in city vs. rural city communities

How will your outreach strategy make sure the research has an correct illustration of our area’s inhabitants

Describe the analytics you’ll use to create the monetary pro-forma

Outline your expertise with socio-economic information gathering and evaluation

Describe your strategy to the present facility evaluation – attain, unbiased information, and so forth

How will you interact native and out of space sporting communities to find out demand

What is your plan to working with the steering committee – instructed test ins, in particular person vs digital, gathering suggestions, and so forth

Provide suggestions on our instructed scope of labor – what’s lacking, what’s pointless, ought to one thing have extra emphasis, and so forth

De Mestre mentioned the competitors among the many three finalists was very tight to the purpose of splitting hairs.

She will probably be negotiating a contract with Berrydunn for the following two weeks. The contract will go to the Port Board of Commissioners on April 11 for approval, and to a steering committee on April 12. Berrydunn will start work on the research shortly afterward.

A complete of $300,000 has been budgeted for the feasibility research.

If a regional Sports advanced is agreed upon by the native governments and teams concerned within the course of, a neighborhood gross sales and use tax must be imposed. A majority of voters could be required to approve any such tax earlier than it might be applied.