Paducah Sports Park project moving forward with bids

Plans are moving forward for the $65 million Paducah Sports Park.

Paducah's Board of Commissioners and the McCracken Fiscal Court both approved document designs and authorized the project to go out for bids this week.

The 105-acre design includes five rectangular and five diamond-shaped multi-use fields for local and regional championship use in baseball, softball, soccer and other sports.

It includes updating the existing grandstand from the Bluegrass Downs horse track, more than 1200 parking spaces, playground areas, indoor dining, disc golf course, a memorial to Dr. Stuart Nelson and other amenities.

 The goal of the four-year collaboration between city and county is for the park to provide top-quality sports facilities for local teams, and also to become a regional destination for tournament play that would draw thousands of participants.

The McCracken County Sports Tourism Commission estimates that once completed, the facility could generate an economic impact on Paducah and McCracken County of $131 million in its first five years of use.