KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Members of the new Sports Authority tasked with overseeing construction of a $65 million stadium downtown met for the first time Thursday, getting a briefing on the project, its goals and its challenges.
The seven-member group, approved by the Knoxville City Council and Knox County Commission earlier this year, met at the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
Among those appearing before them was Randy Boyd, an entrepreneur, owner of the Double A Tennessee Smokies and University of Tennessee System president.
The meeting was largely organizational, with member Alvin Nance being elected chair and Nikitia Thompson being elected vice chair.
The group is expected to meet monthly with the next gathering set for June.
Other members of the authority: Joan Cronan, Richard Bass, Rosalyn Tillman, Jeff Hagood and Tim Hill.
Boyd is the driving force in efforts to build a stadium east of the Old City near Willow and Jackson avenues. He's bought land for the site and cleared it off for construction.
Boyd wants to move the team from its Sevier County home to Knoxville. He's hoping it'll be ready for spring 2023 baseball, but plans are on a tight schedule.
Financing and construction plans are still in play. There'll likely be millions of dollars in infrastructure work that will have to be done to accommodate the project along with some $140 million in new private development.
Some critics question the value of spending so much money on a stadium when it could be used on other works that could help the community.
On Thursday, planners updated the authority on progress so far.
Renderings have been made but they're not final. The vision is to have a square-type field that could accommodate other sports such as soccer in addition to baseball. Talks have begun about a potential local soccer team using the field.
A traffic study is underway. While the project doesn't envision a parking garage, planners said they think there's adequate public parking within walking distance and they're looking at how ridesharing could aid in getting people to and from the area.
Boyd and his group want to honor the history of Knoxville baseball including Black teams of the past.
The project would be paid in part by a lease to the baseball team, $13.5 million coming from the state and sales tax collections from things sold within the stadium during operations.
As planned, the stadium is meant to host a variety of events besides sports such as concerts and community gatherings.
