Hoover Met Complex had $3.6 million first quarter economic impact, managers say

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Events at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex had a $3.6 million economic impact in the first quarter of this year, complex managers told the Hoover City Council tonight.

That includes $3 million in direct spending by visitors on things such as lodging, food and gasoline and $600,000 in indirect economic benefits, said John McDonald, a vice president with Sports Facilities Management (SFM), which runs the complex for the city.

Those estimates, calculated by the Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau, were based on the number of visitors who attended four events in January, two in February and five in March, McDonald said.

The biggest draws were volleyball tournaments at the 155,000-square-foot Finley Center, which tend to attract a lot of family members, he said.

Overall direct revenue for the Hoover Metropolitan Complex for the first six months of fiscal 2018 (October 2017 through the end of March 2018) was $570,000, McDonald said. That was $28,000 less than was expected in the complex’ budget, probably due to delays in the opening of a climbing wall in the lobby of the Finley Center and a planned sports performance facility to be operated by the Alabama Sports Foundation, he said.

Total expenses were about $603,000, compared to about $740,000 in budgeted expenses. The end result was a loss of about $33,000 instead of the $170,000 loss that had been projected for the six-month period.

Optimistic about the future

Jason Clement, the CEO and co-founder of SFM, said his company remains optimistic about the future of the complex and his company’s ability to improve the bottom line, increase the economic impact of the complex and provide recreational opportunities for Hoover residents.

Installation of the climbing wall at the Finley Center should begin after the SEC Baseball Tournament, which is May 22-27, and should be complete by this summer, McDonald said. And SFM is close to finalizing its contract with the Alabama Sports Foundation for the 7,000-square-foot sports performance, training, rehab and education center, he said.

Plus, good progress is being made on the outdoor sports complex that is under construction, McDonald said.

The first of five baseball/softball fields will be ready in time for use as a batting practice facility for the SEC Baseball Tournament, and the other four baseball/softball fields are on schedule to open in August, said Corey Collier, the project manager for the Brasfield & Gorrie construction company handling the work.

Site work is well under way for the five-field complex for soccer, football, lacrosse and rugby and the 16-court tennis complex, Collier said. Foundation work for the soccer/football fields should start in about two weeks, and that complex should be done by January, he said. Construction on the tennis complex should start in July and be done by January as well, he said.

Monty Jones, general manager of the Hoover Metropolitan Complex, said booking for the complex, which opened a year ago, is gaining momentum.

There are 34 more events already booked for the rest of this year, including numerous basketball, baseball and softball tournaments, four more gun shows, a cheer competition, two food shows, a Birmingham Association of Realtors summit, Sherwin Williams Expo, Alabama Apartment Association trade show and the Junior League of Birmingham’s Market Noel. Negotiations continue for additional events, Jones said.

The complex also continues to get a lot of use by Hoover residents, including 4,700 hours of local use from October through March, Jones said. Most of that is Mondays through Thursdays because the facility typically is booked on the weekends, he said.

Clement said his company is starting a scholarship program to provide scholarships for Hoover children who can’t afford to participate in activities at the complex and is asking companies and individuals to donate to that program. SFM is providing $16,000 in seed money for scholarships, he said.

Managers at the Hoover Met Complex also have four signed contracts for sponsorships at the complex, totaling $23,000, and have 13 other sponsorship proposals totaling $74,500 being considered, Jones said. Managers are actively working 52 sponsorship leads, he said.

The Hoover RV Park, which is part of the complex, has had a slower start than desired, with revenues of $89,000 for the first six months of the fiscal year — $7,000 less than budgeted, McDonald said.

Managers realized they set their fees for the RV Park too high and have since lowered them, he said. The 170-space park is averaging about 10 to 14 percent occupancy, and managers would prefer to see that average at about 20 percent, he said.

Hoover Councilman Casey Middlebrooks said he appreciates the work that SFM is doing to bring events to Hoover. He was at the IHOP on John Hawkins Parkway on a a recent Saturday, and the restaurant was packed with out-of-town people visiting the Hoover Met for a volleyball tournament, he said.

In other business tonight, the Hoover City Council:

  • Amended its 2018 budget to provide $69,000 to replace a Chevrolet Tahoe police cruiser and police motorcycle that were totaled and $842,000 to settle three workers compensation claims related to medical emergencies that had career-ending implications for three employees. It was the first time in 20 to 25 years the city had a claim of this nature, and these three occurred within a few weeks (two on the same day), City Administrator Allan Rice said.
  • Authorized the installation of fire hydrants in the Stadium Trace Village shopping center.
  • Continued a gradual annexation of property owned by Brook Highland Community Church at 7160 Cahaba Valley Road.
  • Approved a liquor license for a Taco Mama restaurant at 6802 Cahaba Valley Road and a special events alcohol license for a May 12 event to be held by Jubilee Joe's on a vacant piece of property at 5190 Medford Drive near the Sprouts grocery store.
  • Rescheduled public hearings regarding the rezoning of 62 acres off Old Rocky Ridge Road from mostly apartment zoning to accommodate 170 townhomes. The public hearings now are scheduled for the June 4 council meeting. Read more about the rezoning request.

This article was updated twice on May 7 with additional information from the council meeting.