Westfield park far from breaking even, earning profit

WESTFIELD, Ind. (AP) - A park in an Indianapolis suburb hasn't made money since opening more than two years ago.

Grand Park in Westfield has operated millions of dollars in the red and is projecting a $3.86 million deficit next year, the Indianapolis Business Journal reported (http://bit.ly/2epbNrO ). Revenue is growing, but expenses are as well.

Westfield officials said they aren't worried because the park wasn't meant to earn a profit, but was designed as an economic development tool to attract visitors and private investments.

Youth-sports facility management experts also said there's no reason to panic over the park's deficits.

University of Indianapolis assistant professor of sports management Michael Diacin said sports and recreation generally isn't a very lucrative business and he's not surprised the park still isn't breaking even so soon after opening.

Diacin has worked with publicly owned ice arenas near Detroit. One of those arenas took 10 years to break even.

He said that although Grant Park could earn money in the future, no one should expect high margins.

"My general thing is, let's be careful (about) proclaiming any type of profitability goals," Diacin said. "Let's not get people's hopes too high because there's a lot that's out of our control."

The campus is made up of 400-acres and features 26 softball and baseball diamonds, 31 soccer fields, 10 miles of multi-use paths and the Grand Park Events Center, a nearly 400,000-square-foot indoor facility that opened in July.

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Information from: Indianapolis Business Journal, http://www.ibj.com