County Supervisors invest $2.5 million in Indoor Sportsplex

OTTUMWA, Iowa (KYOU) - More contributions are coming in for the proposed Ottumwa Indoor Sports Complex.

On Tuesday, the Wapello County Board of Supervisors approved $2.5 million to contribute to the project.

The complex would go in Sycamore Park and share a parking lot with Beach Ottumwa. The project’s leaders say the building would have enough space inside for three basketball courts, four volleyball courts, a 9v9 turf soccer field, and a host of other amenities.

The sports complex would be owned by the non-profit Southeast Iowa Sports Commission.

County Supervisor Brian Morgan, who also serves on the Commission, says the money would be coming out of the county’s American Rescue Plan dollars. “We just don’t have the facilities and the people to manage the facilities here. So I think the economic impact of this far will outweigh about anything else we really can invest in as far as our ARPA dollars go.”

Other local organizations have also pledged money: the Ottumwa School District, JBS, and the Ottumwa Legacy Foundation. The City is expected to make a contribution as well.

But the non-profit still needs to raise over $2 million through public donations before the complex can be built. The County’s investment will be contingent on those funds getting raised first.