Alachua County’s response to Champions Park discussion at Newberry City Commission meeting

Letter to the editor

In response to the City of Newberry’s June 23, 2025, discussion on Champions Park, some clarification is necessary.

At the meeting, it was stated that the park was the second-largest driver of hotel stays in the county. That is inaccurate. From April 2024 to March 2025, Champions Park accounted for only 1.7% of the county’s total hotel revenue.

Also discussed at this meeting was the idea of requesting funding from the County for the upkeep of this municipal facility. To recount the park’s history: In 2009, the City of Newberry presented a clear proposal to the County: if the County would fund the construction of a large-scale baseball complex, then known as Nations Park, Newberry would take on full responsibility for its operation and maintenance. The City also assured the County that it would not seek additional funding for the facility in the future.

The County agreed, and, after signing an interlocal agreement, dedicated Tourist Development Tax funding for the City to build the $7 million facility. This was not a loan or cost-sharing arrangement. The County dedicated the full amount for the City to construct this park. The total funding provided by the County was just over $8 million, including interest and additional funding for capital improvements approved by the County. This extra funding was derived from savings realized through a 2015 debt restructuring. Additionally, the County has allocated an additional $346,929.69 in tournament support through the Gainesville Sports Commission’s bid pool.

After challenges arose with the original operator, the City engaged a new operator and renamed the facility Champions Park. In 2019, the City contracted with its third and current operator. It is our understanding that Newberry had commitments from each of its three contracted operators to fund the necessary maintenance and upgrades to the facility from park revenues.

In what appeared to be driven by staff concerns about the lack of upkeep at the park, a 2016 memo from then-Newberry Director of Recreation Brad Carmen, entitled “Champions Park of Newberry Operating Agreement Status Report,” outlined the financial resources needed to satisfy Newberry’s maintenance obligations.

From the memo: “Staff conservatively estimates that $115,000 should be set aside annually to fund infrastructure renewal and replacement.” It is unclear whether this suggestion was followed. It is clear that the park is in disrepair. The County appreciates that at the June 23 meeting, Newberry approved $2 million in Wild Spaces & Public Places infrastructure surtax funding to address long overdue and underfunded maintenance needs at Champions Park. This surtax was placed on the 2022 ballot by the County Commission and approved by the voters.

Finally, at the same meeting, it was projected that the park has had a $100 million economic impact on the county. The County reached out to Newberry staff and the current operator to obtain the data and timeframe behind that figure. To date, we haven’t been able to verify this information.

Given that the County’s motivation for its commitment to this project was to drive significant economic impact, we find these projections encouraging.

Alachua County staff

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