Trust authority selects designer for indoor youth sports complex

Members of the Lawton Youth Sports Authority have given conditional approval to a contract that designates an Oklahoma City firm to design the long-awaited indoor youth sports complex.

Authority Chairman Brian Henry received conditional approval from his board Thursday to sign a contract with ADG Blatt, Oklahoma City. Conditional means Henry is free to sign the contract as soon as final details are worked out for control of intellectual property, a discussion expected to occur today. Approval sets a phased contract into place, with fees totaling $949,664 for the first three phases: schematics, development and drawings. Two final phases — bidding and construction oversight — also are included.

The designs will replace what up to now has been conceptual designs for an indoor complex that will feature basketball courts that can be converted to volleyball courts, two indoor turf fields, an exercise area, storage areas and a cafe/kitchen area; and five outdoor fields that can each be converted to smaller fields. Creating “shovel ready” designs will strengthen Lawton’s position as officials apply for grants to help fund construction, Henry and Eastern Sports Management President John Wack have said.

Henry said the contract was deliberately “structured,” a concept Eastern Sports Management has used with other design contracts it has overseen. That means work related to designs will be done in phases, and each phase requires written permission from the sports authority before it may be initiated. Each phase also will include development of cost and value engineering estimates.

Funding has been allocated for the first three phases, $1.25 million recently set into place when the City Council agreed to transfer another $550,000 to the sports authority’s budget for design work ($700,000 already was available).

Henry said those design plans will focus on the “entire piece of land,” meaning both athletic fields and building will be designed, although officials have indicated they expect to begin with the building.

Henry said the strength of the project is the completion of “shovel ready” designs, a benefit to Lawton “in case grants jump up.” Most grants — including a recent TSET grant brought to the authority’s attention — require shovel ready designs as a condition of application. Lawton already other meets other criteria, including a site (action in late March gives the authority control of 120 acres of land near Eastside Park and MacArthur High School on East Gore Boulevard).

Acting City Attorney Tim Wilson said the lone hold-up in the agreement comes under the heading of intellectual property and control of data. It’s a decision that stems from conceptual designs crafted for the first site proposed for the sports complex (Elmer Thomas Park) and arguments over who owned those designs. City Manager John Ratliff (then, city attorney) has been specific in his directive that today’s contract must clearly identify who owns the designs, and that will be Lawton.

Henry said ADG Blatt is concerned about the data its designers will use to produce Lawton’s designs, which will be specific to the Eastside Park location. While Lawton will retain control over the designs, Henry said officials have no problem with ADG Blatt retaining control of the data used to create those designs, potentially using it to design complexes for others.

While Wilson and other attorneys said existing wording gives that protection to ADG Blatt, Henry said company officials want it clearly spelled out, a discussion that can be quickly resolved.

“We’re fine with that,” Henry said.

Crafting that final language — which Wilson will approve — will allow Henry to sign the contract so work can begin, authority members said.