3 Sites Identified For Rochester Regional Sports & Rec Complex

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The City of Rochester has narrowed down the list of potential sites for the planned Regional Sports and Recreation Complex to three properties.

On Monday, the Rochester City Council will be asked to authorize staff to enter into "Assignment and Assumption of Purchase Agreements" for the three sites. Officials say that will allow the city to "lock in the cost" of the properties for 120 days to perform due diligence and evaluate the suitability of the sites for the sports and recreation complex.

The agreements call for $100,000 of refundable earnest money to be deposited in escrow for each of the properties. The evaluation of the sites will include surveys, geotechnical testing, and audits. City staff is budgeting $100,000 for the work at each of the three locations.

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According to the City Council Agenda, the leadership team working on the $65 million project plan to report back to the elected officials before the end of the year with recommendations on which site to purchase.

The three sites are:

• Badger Farms along Valleyhigh Drive NW on the west edge of the city
• Rochester West Campus (former IBM site)
• Seneca Foods Corporation property in SE Rochester next to Shoppes on Maine retail center

The City Council agenda indicates the purchase agreement for the Badger Farms property covers 116 acres at a cost of nearly $2.7 million. The Rochester West Campus site involves 107 acres with a price tag of more than $5.3 million, while the Seneca Foods property encompasses 150 acres at a cost of more than $6.3 million.

Last fall, Rochester voters authorized the use of $65 million in local sales tax revenue to fund the project.

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