By Sadie Hunter
At its Dec. 20 meeting, the Noblesville Common Council approved plans for the first phase of the city’s sixth park, Finch Creek, and the sports facility that will highlight it, the Noblesville Fieldhouse.
Late last month, the city announced its public-private partnership with Klipsch-Card Athletic Facilities LLC for a 130,000-square-foot sports fieldhouse that will house five hard courts, 75,000 square feet of turf, a restaurant and a sports medicine/physical therapy office in 10,000 square feet.
For more than a decade, a park on the east side of the city has been talked about, and now, the council’s vote approving Phase I of Finch Creek Park will mean groundbreaking in late spring 2017.
The budget for the first phase sits at approximately $8.9 million and will include more technical improvements like utility relocations, infrastructure, roads, parking, lighting, landscaping, restrooms and a maintenance facility, but also amenities, including three shelters, age-appropriate playgrounds, a spray ground, basketball and pickleball courts, a large berm utilized as a play feature and trail connections – all to be constructed on the southeast portion of the park’s total 203 acres, just north of the Blue Ridge Creek neighborhood development on Boden Road.
“Fifty-six percent of the Noblesville housing permits are east of (Ind.) 37,” Noblesville Parks Director Brandon Bennett said. “The city’s five current parks are all located west of (Ind.) 37, so those residents on the east side of town do not have park amenities in close proximity to their homes. Thankfully, in the near future all of Noblesville will be able to enjoy all of Finch Creek Park’s green space with active and passive areas.”
The Noblesville Fieldhouse is anticpated to break ground in late spring or early summer 2017 and should be completed in the summer or fall of 2018. The Fieldhouse is set to open in spring 2018.
Since the November 29 announcement, officials worked out a new financial deal as part of its public-private partnership agreement that removes $300,000 of the city’s annual commitment. The new terms agreed to by both sides include:
- $300,000 annually in Property Tax for 20 years.
- $250,000 annually from the Corporate Campus East TIF for 20 years.
- Sell 10 acres of land for $500,000, 5 percent of the total Finch Creek Park property of 203 acres.
- Klipsch-Card is responsible for renting the facility 100 percent of the time.
“Rather than having the City commit to or having specific time available during the week, we would allow Klipsch-Card to have 100 percent of the time available with the guarantee that any Noblesville-based organization/club/501c(3) receive a 25 percent discount on the rental rate of the facility during the week,” Noblesville Mayor John Ditslear. “This means there will be no revenue sharing as Klipsch-Card will capture 100 percent of the revenues and the city reduces our annual commitment in the deal by $300,000.”
