Study: Kane County cross-country facility would lose money
A new report shows building a cross-country facility at the former Settler's Hill landfill in Geneva would be a money pit, but that's not stopping Kane County Board members from pushing forward.
County board members commissioned the report last year after finalizing a list of possible redevelopment ideas for the 700-acre Fabyan Parkway campus that includes the landfill and Fifth Third Bank Ballpark. The study examined the financial feasibility of the first project on the list — a cross-country facility on the landfill capable of drawing local, regional and national competitions.
The good news in the report is that a dedicated cross-country facility would be the only one of its kind in Illinois.
The landfill would allow for a 360-degree view of competitors as they traverse the entire length of the cross-country course. It also has the advantage of more than 2,500 existing parking spaces, an amenity many facilities that host such competitions in the region lack.
The downside is the money. Even with charging $5 for parking, facility rental fees of as much as $4,500 and getting at least a cut of concessions, the study says the $3.88 million cross-country facility would operate at a deficit of between $50,000 and $146,000 through its first 10 years of existence.
Those red numbers mean it's unlikely a private company would lease the facility and manage the operations. That's the way the Kane County Forest Preserve District operates its golf courses. Instead, a volunteer or nonprofit group must run the show to avoid the manpower costs.
Forest preserve district President Mike Kenyon said the numbers add up to a bad idea.
“I have a hard time envisioning this paying off,” Kenyon said. “If you think you're going to make this a national site for events, you're really dreaming. You're going to have to do a better job on selling me than this. We need a big sugar daddy to do this.”
Supporters of the plan said the study is just a starting block to seek out sponsorships, private funding and naming rights that could put the red numbers back in the black.
“I'm excited about this,” said county board member Drew Frasz. “The challenge is the deficit. It's not a real high number, and it certainly can be whittled down.”
Some of that whittling may involve a better accounting of the regional impact of the facility.
The report estimates the cross-country facility would generate about $18.8 million in new spending by people drawn to the facility during the first 20 years. That would generate about $5.2 million in taxes. The exact amount of sales tax money that would come to the county has not been estimated. That's one number that would contribute to a profitable operation.
Representatives from the Chicago Area Track & Field Organizing Committee have also expressed support for promoting the facility and being the volunteer operation that runs it. That would lop off another large chunk of the cost.
Both the current and former county board members who represent the area the landfill is located in continue to support the plan.
Former board member Mike Donahue spoke Tuesday of the benefits of providing public access to the landfill site, particularly the skyline view provided at the summit.
Current board member John Martin said it would be easy to cut losses early and still have a facility with public value.
“What this does in the worst case scenario is it creates a path system that allow utilization of this sanitary landfill,” Martin said. “I'm not arguing with the objections. But if the economic impact or operational expenses don't end up making any sense, the end result is we still have a trail system.”