Trust authority looking at Eastside Park area for new indoor sports complex

Lawton Youth Sports Trust Authority is proceeding with plans that could lead to an indoor youth sports complex being built adjacent to Eastside Park.

Trust Authority Chairman Brian Henry said he has been talking to multiple people about plans that could mean property north, south and west of Eastside Park would be available for the sports complex that sports enthusiasts have been pushing since Lawton voters approved initial funding in the 2019 Capital Improvements Program. Since then, the trust authority has identified several potential sites for that facility. The most recent one — the south side of East Gore Boulevard at Southeast 45th Street — was laid to rest in October after authority members spent months trying to work through issues that would have provided 85 acres in two tracts.

Last week, Henry told trust authority members he talked to the owners of property near Eastside Park who are interested in the project: Lawton Public Schools and Donna Richards Cooper. Lawton Public Schools owns two tracts of land north of the park and a third on the park’s south side, totaling 40 acres. The park and school acreage also is adjacent to MacArthur High and MacArthur Middle schools. The Frank L. Richards Trust owns another 39 acres west of the park, and trustee Donna Richards Cooper indicated she would be willing to sell the land.

The property is attractive for the same reason land on the south side of East Gore Boulevard was: infrastructure already is in place, the site is easily accessible, and Eastside Park has the outdoor ballfields that Eastern Sports Management President John Wack has said would complement the indoor complex, making it a more popular venue for tournaments.

The Richards Trust property has been appraised at $248,000, significantly less than the other East Gore property. LPS officials have indicated they are interested in providing their land for the project under a long-term lease because of the benefit it can bring to student athletes.

“They have the need, without building themselves, for more space,” Henry said, of LPS plans to expand space needed by the MacArthur athletes.

Henry said the net result could be 120 acres of land, the total of the school land, the Richards tract and property owned by the City of Lawton, providing plenty of space for today’s needs and future expansion. He said officials did have some concerns, including the fact the topography is more rugged than other sites, meaning more earthwork would be needed. But, engineers said that work can be accomplished.

“It’s doable,” Henry said, adding the tracts also are outside the floodplain that is common in East Lawton, avoiding another problem.

Henry said he believes the school district would be a willing partner, noting student athletes already are using some of the property. Donna Richards Cooper also has said she supports the sports complex project, as would her late husband, East Lawton developer Frank Richards. The City of Lawton already is making plans to add amenities to the park, including a splash pad, said Parks and Recreation Director Larry Parks.

Henry said while costs haven’t been set, the land purchase/lease would be less than the $1 million that officials had planned to pay for the other Gore property.

The indoor complex is expected to contain basketball courts that can be converted to other play and indoor turf fields, along with amenities such as a concessions area. Authority members have said buying land would allow design plans to proceed, and Wack said shovel-ready construction plans will be an asset when applying for grants to build what has been estimated as a $31 million complex.