EDITORIAL Highlands’ pursuit of sports complex shouldn’t keep county from doing so

The Highlands, 25 miles west of Washington in the West Virginia panhandle, offers a wide range of goods, services and good times to consumers. There are retail stores galore, encompassing more than 1 million square feet of space, anchored by outdoors giant Cabela’s. And there are restaurants, hotels, motels, movie theaters, a college branch and more.
Everything but sports facilities, it seems. Now they’re coming.
Ohio County officials are moving on a sports complex that would complement – and be complemented by – the other offerings on the 1,000-acre tract outside Triadelphia. The facilities are planned for a 10- to 15-acre tract of undeveloped property behind the Marquee Cinemas and in front of Cabela’s distribution center.
The project, according to county Commissioner Randy Wharton, likely will include the construction of two large buildings, with a connector building between. He said those structures are expected to house six indoor basketball courts, three to four indoor soccer fields, “some health-related tenants,” training rooms, small locker rooms and “some children-type attractions.”
Two full-size, multiple-use outdoor fields also are planned, Wharton said. Groundbreaking could occur in mid- to late July.
This $30 million project is pricey. Ohio County, Wharton said, is paying for it through “a mix of bonds sold and paid back by the hotel-motel tax, and cash flow and whatever funding can come from The Highlands.”
It is a formidable endeavor, but could pay off handsomely over time – for most if not all parties. Sports complexes such as this can host youth sports tournaments, which are usually conducted on weekends and draw a number of teams from outside an immediate area. Families staying over a night or two require lodging, food and entertainment, and sportsplexes located in an area that provides all three will benefit along with the local business community.
Location, location, location is the mantra of real estate agents everywhere, and The Highlands offers all of that. It is off a major Interstate (70), it serves three states with significant total population and offers a bounty of opportunities. Pittsburgh is less than an hour’s drive away.
Sports complexes are not common in the tri-state, but do exist. There is a concern that building them could lead to oversaturation. So the news that Ohio County is undertaking that task could be a blow to sportsplex proponents in Washington County, such as Jeff Kotula, president of the county Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Promotion Agency.
For a recent article on The Highlands, Kotula told the Observer-Reporter’s Rick Shrum: “The youth sports market is certainly a growth area for tourism and one that (our agency) is actively pursuing. … The sport tourism industry is an approximately $8 billion industry nationally, and Washington County has resources that make our county a desirable tournament location.”
That certainly is the case, and why the county should not be dissuaded in pursuing such an endeavor. Although a potential site has not been pinpointed, and although Triadelphia may be a mere 25 miles from Washington and 35 from Canonsburg and Southpointe – all vibrant and potentially viable locales – the county should continue to explore this option.
Sports complexes can be winners.