By T. Scott Boatright
It was a celebration of passion and success as officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday afternoon to unveil Phase II — the indoor facility -— of the Ruston Sports Complex that is projected to make an economic impact of $1.2 billion for the city over the next 20 years.
The 62,470-square foot facility is part of an 185-acre complex that features:
• Six multi-use courts (ready to host six basketball games, 8-eight volleyball games, 15 pickleball games, six soccer games at a time as well as a host of other events)
• 4,000 square foot multi-purpose room
• State-of-the-art concession area
• Workstations
“Today marks a first for the city of Ruston,” said Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker. “Our city is over 125 years old, and this is the first time we’ve ever owned our own gymnasium. Everybody thought Bobby James Gym was owned by the city of Ruston. It was not. It was owned by the school board. So this is the first time in the history of our city that we’ve owned a gymnasium — not just one but six.”
Walker then took a moment to thank the Ruston Parks and Recreation staff.
“This past weekend we had 60 volleyball teams in here for a tournament, most from out of town,” Walker said. “Then last night they had 180 kids playing indoor soccer. And then flipped that all around so that we could do this today, So recreation staff, thank you very much for what you do every day.”
Walker went on to explain what he believes the facility will mean to not only Ruston and Lincoln Parish, but also the region as a whole.
“This is the completion of Phase II — our indoor facility,” he said. “Phase I was the outdoor facility. This is a real plus for our city. Just like Phase I, it will bring so many tax dollars into our city every weekend when tournaments are held here just like the outdoor facility.
“We are becoming known as the finest facility in the South and we have labeled this entire complex the ‘Sports Capital of the South.’ So we’re really excited about what’s taking place out here.”
Walker then turned the microphone over to Assistant to the Mayor Haley Perot.
“I’m going to be very up front with you and tell you I’m a very poor substitute for the person who is supposed to be out here, which is our Sports Facility Director Megan Rowe,” Perot said. “She’s incredible at what she does and runs this whole facility. She is phenomenal at getting teams and tournaments, but she has a pretty good excuse for not being here because she is currently having a baby. So with that, I gave her a pass.”
Perot also talked about the facility itself.
“I do want to encourage you to look at this facility as more than what you see,” she said. “Behind me you see volleyball nets, basketball goals, soccer goals. I’m sure you can envision cheer competitions, dance competitions and even gymnastic meets. But I want you to look again if we lift all of this up — if we lift up all the nets and all of this equipment, we have approximately a 50,000-foot blank space. And it’s no longer a sports complex, it’s an events center. An events center that can host trade shows, dog shows, karate matches, expos or art fairs.
“We know that in the city of Ruston not everyone plays sports, not everybody loves to come out here and do something athletic. But that’s what this facility is — it’s more than just that. (Mayor Walker) will tell you that if you can dream it, we can do it.”
She then pointed out a 4,000-square foot room that can be used to hold banquets.
“It’s a blank canvas made for you to enjoy and made pretty much anything,” Perot said.
Walker then introduced Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, who oversees tourism for the state of Louisiana.
“To lean forward with this type of investment shows the kind of passion and team effort the (Ruston City Council), the mayor, and the community has to back this,” Nungesser said. “Three years ago we decided we needed a team traveling the country promoting sports tourism outside of New Orleans. We’ve had great success with volleyball, Olympic trials, basketball, boxing, golf.
“This facility is going to take us to a new level. This facility is going to give us the opportunity to host those larger events. And I can’t wait for our team to go back to Denver and meet with the Olympic Trials (organizers) and tell them what we have here in Louisiana.”
