Inside look at $80 million sports center
Good Saturday to you! Today we bring pictures and videos of the construction at the new sports center, plus an update on how tourism fared in May... and York County gets a new Fire Chief.
The area’s $80 million sports center is on budget and on time for an August 2026 opening, officials say, and we got a look at it recently during a construction tour.
The 200,000 square-foot facility, located on Colonial Williamsburg land near the CW visitors’ center, is a joint project of Williamsburg City and York and James City counties, which plan for it to be a strong driver of tourism dollars.
Earlier this month, construction manager Todd Walker told the Historic Triangle Recreational Facilities Authority the facility will be open on time by August of next year and has remained within its budget allowances.
Proponents say it will attract thousands of families who might drive down for a sports tournament, but stay several days to visit Colonial Williamsburg, Busch Gardens, Water Country and other entertainment and historical sites.
James City County Administrator Scott Stevens says our region checks off all the boxes for success:
“You have to have enough people…who will drive three to six hours for weekend tournaments. You've got to have things for kids to do outside of the facility, and you have to have name recognition.”
During our visit, construction manager Todd Walker outlined the sheer scale of the project:
1. More than 660 trucks poured 6,000 yards of concrete for the facility.
2. It will take 55 trucks to bring in the retractable turf covering that can fit three soccer fields and will be the largest in the country.
3. It requires 14 HVAC units to air condition the facility.
4. 26 television screens will be used to keep patrons updated.
The resulting space will provide 12 basketball courts that convert into 24 volleyball courts and 36 pickleball courts, according to the recreation authority. There will be meeting areas on the ground and second floors, a large kitchen and eating area, and a gym with a climbing wall and other equipment to keep children occupied while their siblings play in the tournament.
The agency will pay Colonial Williamsburg $222,000 a year to lease the land, according to the 2026 budget approved by the Recreation Authority this week. Stevens says the facility will lease the land under a 30-year lease with provisions for extensions.
The city of Williamsburg will pay 64% of the sports center’s cost, about $2.5 million a year, and the regional authority will pay the balance, about $1.5 million a year, using tourism tax dollars generated by the three localities.
Williamsburg will also pay an operating subsidy of $586,274 a year in 2026, while James City and York County will pay $800,000 each year for the next five years, then between $300,000 and $800,000 over the following 25 years, depending on the size of the sports facility’s operating losses.
Stevens says the county has a $3 million balance in its tourism tax fund, enough to pay for several years’ subsidies. He said the recreational facility will probably suffer some operating losses, but they will be offset by the revenue from hotel and meals taxes the local communities will receive from added tourism.
Part of the reason for those losses, he noted, is because the facility will allow local residents to use it during the work week.
He said the authority’s members have not yet determined what local residents will pay to use the facilities.
Area tourism ticked up in May
The region’s hotel business picked up slightly in May, and visitors are expanding their spending in restaurant and retail when they come, according to several research sources.
CoStar Group, which provides information on hotel occupancy rates, said hotel occupancy in the Historic Triangle grew by 2.7 % in May from the prior year, but was still less than half of the occupancy capacity of the region.
A company that provides visitor snapshots for Visit Williamsburg said 41% of restaurant spending in May came from visitors, up from 34% the prior year. Tourists also spent more on retail shopping, although they represented fewer visitors to area attractions – 60% vs. 64% the prior year.
The Zartico visitor intelligence company reported Busch Gardens and Water County USA captured a fifth of visitors’ business. The jointly owned amusement parks announced they would provide a special rate for anyone who downloads the Visit Williamsburg Cool Summer Savings Pass.
Ed Harris, CEO of Visit Williamsburg, said the rate would be $74.99 to visit both attractions within two days, as long as it happens within a week of the first visit.
The pass is available to both tourists and residents and includes other discounts and specials available from July through August.. You can download it here.
The Colonial Williamsburg historic district was the second most popular tourist destination with 8%, according to Zartico.
Zartico said the Washington, D.C. area remains the strongest source for out of town visitors -- 19% of May’s total. Richmond, Raleigh and south Hampton Roads make up the next three largest sources of visitors.
The consultant recommended the tourism marketing group focus on markets within a four-hour driving distance of Williamsburg, such as Baltimore and Philadelphia.
“This approach aligns with current traveler preferences for cost-effective, last-minute trip planning while leveraging Williamsburg's competitive advantage in attracting regional visitors who demonstrate strong spending patterns across restaurant and retail categories,” the consultant report noted.
York County gets new fire chief
York County is getting a new fire chief.
Chief Stephen P. Kopczynski will retire July 1 after more than 50 years in the fire department.
The county appointed Allen W. Baldwin, currently the deputy fire chief, to succeed him.
Kopczynski, a York County native, started his career in 1974 as a volunteer fireman with the county. He was named fire chief in 1988 and the coordinator of emergency management.
During his tenure, he expanded the number of fire stations from three to seven and modernized department operations and facilities, a statement from the county said.
Baldwin has decades of fire and emergency services experience, and has spent the past two and a half years as York’s deputy fire chief.
State and regional headlines
UVA President Jim Ryan resigns amid federal ultimatum
Schools in Hampton Roads region brace for potential federal cuts, explore block grants
The Navy puts admiral in charge of Norfolk Naval Shipyard amid growing maintenance backlog
New William & Mary board members appointed
Business leaders Melissa Ballenger, Eric Cantor and Hillary Waldron — all William & Mary alumni — have been appointed by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin to serve on the university’s Board of Visitors.
In addition, Ardine Williams, retired workforce development executive at Amazon, was reappointed to a second term, the governor’s office announced today. Earlier this year, Williams was elected vice rector of the board effective July 1, 2025.
Board terms will begin on July 1, 2025. The 17-member board serves as the governing body of the university, each appointed by the governor of Virginia for a term of four years.
Departing the board in July will be Vice Rector Barbara L. Johnson, John Rathbone and J.E. Lincoln Saunders.
Government Meetings
Evolution House, which resolved an issue with one of its group homes in James City County just a few weeks ago, will be back before the county planning commission next week to complete the process with another of its homes.
County staff are recommending the planning commission rule in favor of allowing up to 16 residents at the Evolution House facility on a single family home at 4622 Rochambeau Drive.
The staff said they learned the house was operating with more residents than allowed under zoning ordinances in the fall of 2023, when they were investigating a complaint about another Evolution House property on Route 60 West. The memorandum to the planning commission said that while discussing the issue, the operators of Evolution House let them know there was a similar problem at the Rochambeau Drive home and they began working with the county to resolve it.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 2, at the county government center board room at 101 Mounts Bay Road.
Williamsburg
Public Arts Council election of officers. June 30, 3:30 p.m., Stryker Center, 412 N. Boundary Street, Room 127.
Board of Zoning Appeals, July 1, 4 p.m. Stryker Center, 412 N. Boundary Street.
Passings
Thomas George Alba, 90, June 25.