Oasis Sports Complex gets nod
Cape Coral City Council gave the nod Wednesday to spending more than $12 million for the Oasis Sports Complex.
Via consensus at a joint workshop with the Cape Coral Charter School Authority Governing Board, Council approved moving forward with the base plan, plus two alternatives, for the complex with exclusive use to schools within the Oasis Charter Schools system.
Avalon Engineering Vice President Brandon Sloan began the presentation by sharing that the municipal charter school, which opened in 2005 now has 3,453 students among its two elementary schools, and one middle and high school.
There are 23 competitive athletic teams for boys and girls.
“The growth of the school is what is driving the need for the multi-sport field,” he said.
The complext will be located on the east side of Oasis Boulevard, just west of Ida Baker High School. “The design team worked very hard with the school board team. We took a look at multiple options of the sports field and parking area and buildings with layout.”
The site plan presented included two alternatives, which Council unanimously agreed should be added.
Those two alternatives include an additional parking access point out to the northwest from the school, and another would be connecting to the Joe Coviello Park parking area connecting to Oasis Woods Boulevard.
The overall site plan is for 9.61 acres and includes 7,076 square feet for buildings – including an onsite gym, locker rooms, concession stand and maintenance building.
There is also space for food trucks to be parked for special events with tables and picnic areas.
The multi-sport field will include a 20-foot-wide track with eight lanes for competition, which has an 8-foot sidewalk that goes around the turf field. The field also includes bleachers for the home team of 1,160 and 580 seats for the visitors.
A fence will also go around the facility for security.
Astro Turf Specialist Wes Allen said the track system is a true “sandwich system” – a durable wear layer and a sealed paved-in place base layer. He said it is a certified track at any level – such as holding Junior Olympic meets.
With proper maintenance, he said the track will last 12 to 15 years with restriping after year seven to 10 due to UV and paint fading.
Council also gave a consensus to move forward with the total estimated cost and contingency for both alternatives of $12,055,066.23.
Interim Assistant City Manager Mark Mason said the goal is to issue debt for the complex and, if it is going to be solely used as a charter school facility, the charter system can use local capital improvement funding to pay back the debt.
“The LCI funds were put into place as a statutory authority,” Mason said. “The Department of Education for the state of Florida set aside funds every year associated with capital outlay for charter schools.”
The LCI funding is issued at 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and then 100% by 2028.
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