BRADLEY, Ill. – The first steps towards creating a major tourist attraction with the approval of a resolution by the Bradley Village board.
Monday night, an agreement with Sports Facilities Development LLC was reached that will provide consulting services for the construction of an outdoor Diamond facility. The proposed new facility would consist of 10-12 ball fields and is expected to have an economic impact of approximately $33 million.
The new facility would compete with Diamond Point Park in Bourbonnais, which generates an estimated $7 million annually according to the Bourbonnais Township Park District. Bradley previously approved an investment of $125,000 to replace the dirt fields with turf. This cost was originally estimated to be $1 million but has since gone up.
Sports Facilities Development LLC is a trusted resource for communities who want to plan, fund, develop, or operate sports, recreation, entertainment, and fitness centers. Their portfolio of premiere sports and recreation venues can be found in tourist destinations such as Myrtle Beach, Gatlinburg, Panama City, Branson, Sandusky, OH, and Tampa Bay.
The facility is expected to draw in more tourists and could eventually lead to the construction of an entertainment complex around the Diamond. The complex could host events such as concerts and farmers markets.
Some of Sports Facilities Development LLC’s other projects include the Cedar Point Sports Center in Sandusky, OH, which was established as part of a public-private partnership to bring traffic to the region’s hotels and local businesses during off-peak months. They also worked on the Horizons Edge Sports Campus in Harrisonburg, VA, which includes an on-site swimming pool, lodge, dining hall, and cabins among the sports amenities. Additionally, they helped refine UW-Eau Claire’s vision, formalize partnerships, and gain support for the Sonnentag Complex in Eau Claire, WI, which will serve students, student athletes, alumni, and community members through sports, recreation, wellness, and event programming.
