Tempe has lost a major deal for a proposed sports venue near Tempe Town Lake, but officials said this isn't a setback for plans to turn the city into an amateur sports Mecca.
A deal for a 19-acre facility fell through after the Kentucky-based developer, STH Enterprises, failed to meet contract deadlines, said Nancy Ryan, Tempe Town Lake project manager.
Officials are disappointed about the loss but would redouble efforts to bring a sports facility to the site near Priest Drive and Rio Salado Parkway, Ryan said.
There have been at least four other proposals for the site, which have included soccer, baseball and softball fields, she said.
"We're hoping we can find the winning combination of a proponent and facilities," Ryan said.
Attracting amateur sports events and venues to Tempe is a way to generate more sales- tax revenue from a growing industry, said Stephanie Nowack, president and CEO of the Tempe Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The Tempe CVB has proactively tried to bring such events here, Nowack said.
Its efforts have included marketing campaigns, having a full-time sports marketing manager on staff and attending sports trade shows to meet event organizers.
Some events have come to the city more easily than others, she added.
"In both the cases of the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and Ironman, they contacted us because they were interested in bringing a race to the area," Nowack said.
When athletes come to Tempe for such events, they often bring their families and they spend money at local hotels, restaurants and shops, Nowack said.
Nearly 50 amateur sports events were held between July 2005 and June 2006, bringing an economic impact of about $24 million to Tempe, said Travis Dray, deputy manager for the city's Parks and Recreation Department.
These events included the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon and Half Marathon in January and the Ford Ironman Arizona Triathlon in April.
Running events aren't the only ones the city is trying to attract, Dray added.
"We have a pretty diverse event base when it comes to amateur sports," he said. "We're just trying to tap into different markets."
Other events coming to the city will include the Junior World Championship for the International Racquetball Federation, which takes place in December at the Student Recreation Complex on campus, Nowack said.
Tempe is an attractive place for sporting activities because it's close to an airport, has good sports venues, and contains a pedestrian-friendly downtown with lots of places to eat and shop, she added.
The economic impact of amateur sports also helped contribute to Tempe's $1.5 million budget surplus for the 2006-07 year, said Chris Salomone, Tempe community development manager.
City officials had expected its general fund to be in the red this year, but sales tax collections were higher than expected.
Bringing these events is important at a time when the city's finances are stretched thin, Salomone said.
"A lot of our resources for creating recreational facilities are committed," Salomone said. "We need the private sector to come in and partner with us."
These events also provide opportunities for local athletes to compete without straying far from home, Dray said.
Communications senior Tim Jones began training for the P.F. Chang's Marathon at the end of the summer and now runs 10 or 11 miles per day.
Jones said he wanted to run a marathon for the sense of accomplishment and pride he could get from it.
"It's just one of those little things to do in life," he said. "I wanted to be able to say I ran a marathon."
As for the Tempe Town Lake site, the City Council will determine next month whether it wants to seek another partnership like the one that fell through with STH, he said.
Reach the reporter at grayson.steinberg@asu.edu
