Plans for Sports Corridor May Become Reality in West Duluth

WEST DULUTH, Minn. - A plan to connect West Duluth’s sports complexes is just two votes away from becoming a reality. Officials with the city of Duluth say the area near Wade Stadium and Wheeler Complex has the potential to be a great sports corridor. "This particular area has so much potential just because so many people are coming particularly with sports ideas," explained communication director with the City of Duluth, Daniel Fanning. If the city council votes it through, it will cost $54,680 to hire a consulting company that would come up with a plan to connect Duluth’s sports complexes. The funding is coming from the city’s tourism tax. The city now owns an open piece of property along West 3rd Street. City leaders think leaving it empty is a missed opportunity, so they've proposed hiring a consultant to look at the entire area around the Wade and make it a sports corridor."We're trying to see how best can we use that space and what amenities should we be putting in there," explained Fanning. Within a few blocks, you can find the Wheeler Sports Complex, a Minnesota bocce destination, hockey heaven at the Heritage Sports Center and a one-of-a-kind stadium with brand new turf."What we're trying to do is just take advantage of what we do well, expand on that, and connect it in a way that makes sense," said Fanning. The city is looking to make the area near Wade Stadium a one-stop-shop for sports fanatics, and to do that successfully they need help."A lot more people are coming which is fantastic,” Fanning explained. “Where do they park? Where do they stay? Where do they eat?" It’s those questions leaders with Hoisington Koegler Group, Inc. will answer once they develop a plan for the area. The Twin Cities based group has also worked on the Duluth parks and recreation plan, the city’s trails master plan, and is currently working on a trail connecting Hermantown and Proctor. When it comes to ideas on how to make the area even better, city leaders say the sky is the limit, but they hope investing a little money will benefit not only sports fans, but the entire city. They hope more parking, and amenities attract bigger events like baseball and softball tournaments which in turn contribute to Duluth’s economy. “People come to that area for those things so how can we expand what they already do so well?” Fanning asked.City leaders say they don't intend on building anything new with the plan, but accentuating on the sports destinations that West Duluth already has.The city council is expected to vote and move forward with hiring the consultant on Monday. If hired, city says plans for the area are expected to be complete late summer 2015.