The first phase of the Youngsville Sports Complex expansion project is taking shape thanks to fresh mounds of dirt that will soon serve as an outdoor concert venue for the growing city.
The dirt, which was recently moved from a nearby drainage project, has provided a glimpse into the city's plans for a heart-shaped amphitheater at the center of a 46-acre expansion project.
"Everybody kind of sees the amphitheater," said Tim Robichaux, Youngsville's director of parks and recreation. "You don't see a whole lot other than that, but there's so much going on."
Most of the construction, which started earlier this year, for the expansion project up until this point has taken place underground.
"The drainage and everything underground comes first," Robichaux said. "Then you'll start seeing things above ground."
Youngsville leaders plan to utilize the amphitheater for the city's annual Independence Day celebration, outdoor concerts and other community events. The amphitheater is expected to hold about 2,000 to 3,000 people.Â
The amphitheater is the latest in a series of projects underway at the complex. The city recently opened a sports-themed splash park and is working on a two-phase expansion project.
The first phase will include the amphitheater, two turf baseball fields, eight outdoor pickleball courts, restrooms, a concession stand and additional parking. It's expected to cost $14.9 million and be completed by April 2023.
Two more turf baseball fields, eight cornhole tournament courts and additional parking lots are planned for the second phase of the project.
This rendering shows plans for the Youngsville Sports Complex expansion project.
The existing sports complex, which opened in 2014, is located on 75 acres of land that was donated by Young's Industries. The expansion project will span an additional 46 acres of sugarcane farming land, which the city purchased for $3 million from the same company.
The need to expand the complex has been evident for years, according to Robichaux. A record 1,600 children are playing in the city's recreational baseball, softball and T-ball leagues this season, but the community demand is nearly double that. There's just not enough space.
City leaders prioritized building collegiate-sized baseball fields as part of the expansion project to capitalize on travel tourism, which brings bigger baseball tournaments to Youngsville. The fields will be utilized for multiple purposes, however.
"We're capping out on all of our sports — girls volleyball, basketball; we had 160 teams in our summer beach volleyball league register this year," Robichaux said. "These fields will be fully turfed, so that is going to open up for more areas for flag football, for soccer. They're going to be multiuse fields. When people see the expansion, they just see all the baseball fields, but they're going to be multiuse because we're running out of room."
The city's sports complex is supported by a dedicated 1-cent sales tax that Youngsville voters approved in 2011 for parks and recreation.
Although the expansion project will include about 1,000 additional parking spaces, city leaders are hoping more pedestrians and cyclists will be able to access the park through sidewalks that connect the complex to nearby neighborhoods and parks.
