Plans for a public fieldhouse and event center funded by a new lodging tax were embraced last week by the McCall City Council.
The council was formally briefed on plans for the 120,000-square-foot facility, called the Mountain Community Center, by a citizen group that developed and advocates for the proposal.
Current plans call for multiple sports fields surrounded by a walking track, with the ability for future expansions to add pickleball courts, a swimming pool, an indoor gym, and other amenities.
Funding for the facility would be raised through private donations and creation of an auditorium district that could tax up to 5% on stays in short-term rentals and motels, said Johanna Defoort, a member of the citizen group who is also Valley County treasurer.
“One of the most exciting parts of this project, as the county treasurer, is that we’re not planning to increase property taxes,” Defoort told council members. “We’ve developed a business model that allows the people who live here to benefit from the tourists who visit.”
Council ‘as excited as you are’
The council signaled support for the project and directed Parks and Recreation Director Kurt Wolf to work with the group as its plans continue to develop.
“We’re probably as excited as you are about these opportunities,” McCall Mayor Bob Giles said.
“I think it’s great,” council member Julie Thrower said. “I’m excited to see you guys moving forward and I hope you can do this as quickly as possible.”
Location, cost to be determined
The site the Mountain Community Center would be built on is still to be determined. One site under consideration is an 80-acre parcel along Lake Fork Road that is owned by the county. The group is also considering two other sites, but Defoort declined to provide further details.
It is currently unknown how much it would cost to build the fieldhouse, though Defoort expects to have an estimate soon.
“We are working with a construction company to get us a better cost estimate,” she said.
Deefort told council members that the private donation campaign has been so successful that it could fund construction, but she declined to reveal how much has been raised so far to Valley Lookout.
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Construction could also be financed using projected revenue from the auditorium district, which could earn up to $1.5 million per year, according to estimates Defoort labeled as “conservative.”
The facility’s operations would also be funded by the district’s annual revenue.
Auditorium district creation
The auditorium district would take in the northern part of Valley County, with boundaries mirroring those of the McCall-Donnelly School District. Stays in all short-term rentals and motels within the district would earn money for the facility.
However, several things must happen before the district can be created. First, a petition must secure signatures from at least 10% of registered voters within the proposed district.
As currently drawn, the district contains 6,183 registered voters, which means the petition needs at least 618 signatures to be successful, Defoort said.
“Our petition is almost ready for circulation,” she said. “We anticipate being able to collect signatures as early as this week.”
With a successful petition, the proposal would advance for a hearing before a district court judge and, if approved, to a vote by property owners within the proposed district.
A simple majority of 50% plus one vote would be required for the district to be created. The group hopes to seek voter approval in November, Defoort said.
Other members of the citizen group are Blake Lingle, Lisa Beck, Megan Lawler, and Katy Nachman.
Indoor recreation space shortage
Plans adopted in 2023 by Valley County and the City of McCall both identified indoor recreation space as a major need across the county.
Lingle, who is president of the McCall United Soccer Association, spoke to that shortage during last week’s city council presentation.
“Coaching soccer in this community is very challenging, especially in the winter and spring,” he said. “We’ve had to cancel multiple practices in the summer because of bad air quality.”
Currently, gymnasiums in local schools and the Elk Creek Church Celebration Center are among the only options for indoor practice space.
Those spaces, however, can quickly get crowded as more than 1,000 students, plus city recreation leagues, vie for use of the indoor facilities, Lingle said.
“I’ve gotten so desperate at times, I once called the airport and asked them if they had an empty hangar (to play soccer in),” he said.
