Orange County’s new six-field soccer complex will officially open later this summer. The $4 million facility — funded by a bond referendum passed in 2001 — is an excellent example of superfluous spending that has helped drive the Orange property tax rate into the stratosphere.
The county has sold the naming rights to Eurosport, a Hillsborough based maker of soccer merchandise. But Lori Taft, Orange County parks and recreation director, acknowledges in this Herald-Sun story what opponents of this facility argued all along — it will never make money and, thus, will always be a cost to Orange taxpayers. (emphasis is mine)
Although there is widespread interest in the soccer complex before it opens, and though it will generate revenue from league rental fees, Taft said it is unlikely it will be self-sustaining.
“It never will achieve that, we don’t think,” she said of a break-even financial picture.
For that reason, money from the sponsorships is vital to help offset operational expenses.
Much of the expense will be from care of the Bermuda grass.
“It’s a highly intense grass, it requires a lot of maintenance” such as expensive fertilizer and mowing the 20 acres the grass blankets. A larger mower already was purchased for that task.
“We hope to recover the cost of lighting with the field rental fees,” Taft said.
Orange County certainly isn’t alone in spending public funds on these types of facilities. Many other local governments have, unfortunately, fallen into the trap of draining the public coffers for golf courses, convention centers, etc. JLF’s Michael Sanera has looked into this misguided spending around the state. For example, Goldsboro has ventured into the golf business , as have Burlington and Wilson.
Is this really the appropriate role of local government? Are soccer and golf real “needs” of the community? I say no.
