Like the Owensboro Convention Center and Sportscenter, the planned indoor sports facility will be under the management of OVG360. The company signed a contract with the City of Owensboro to manage all 3 properties for the next 8 years.
City Manager Nate Pagan said in May the addition of the sports facility was “too big of a change” to simply renew the current agreement that has OVG360 managing the Convention Center and Sportscenter.
The City of Owensboro began accepting bids in Spring 2023, and according to Pagan they received three bids.
Assistant City Manager Lelan Hancock said the decision ultimately came down to OVG360’s performance thus far.
“We were very pleased with how they manage our other facilities, but the biggest piece is just having that one group to manage all three facilities. They have the ability to strategically utilize all three together when they schedule something,” Hancock said.
Hancock said managing the three facilities makes it easier to continue a consultation if one of them is already booked.
The sports facility is being built on the former Owensboro Antique Mall site, between West 3rd and 4th Streets and Locust and Cedar Streets. It is still in the design phase, and indoor schematics have remained the same since they were revealed in August.
It is set to span roughly 86,000 square feet with 7 basketball courts — a typical layout, according to Hancock. He said that equals about 14 volleyball courts and anywhere from 21 to 28 pickleball courts, depending on how tight players wish to make the courts.
