Details surrounding the status of proposals for the operation or management of Grand Park and the next steps ahead will remain confidential until a panel of committee members completes its work, according to the city.
Westfield once pondered selling the 400-acre complex that serves as the training camp for the Indianapolis Colts or entering into a public-private-partnership to operate the facility. Grand Park, which opened in 2014, has 31 soccer fields, 26 baseball diamonds, two administration buildings, seven concession stands and a 378,000-square-foot multi-use event center.
What remains unclear, however, is when any information will be released after the city announced in March it was moving forward with evaluating proposals only for the operation or management of Grand Park and the Grand Park Events Center. In 2022, the city sent out requests for proposals regarding the facility and received seven from different entities across the country.
City spokesman Chris Proffitt declined to answer specific questions tied to an overall timeline and how many proposals are currently being considered from the seven that the city received due to confidentiality.
“The city, and therefore the Redevelopment Commission, the owner of Grand Park, will only have that information when the review committee completes its work, which is subject to confidentiality by statute,” Proffitt said. “Only those members know how far along they are in the process and are restricted by non-disclosure agreements. The only information I have is that there are no new bidders other than the previously disclosed ones.”
The city appointed six individuals to serve on a committee to review the proposals, which were received by the following entities:
- Card & Associates Athletic Facilities, LLC
- A confidential client of Cushman & Wakefield
- Indy Sports & Entertainment, LLC and related entity
- Ambassador Enterprises
- REV Entertainment
- Sports Facilities Companies, LLC
- Anytown USA, LLC
The panel of committee members will eventually make a recommendation to the Westfield City Council and the city’s Redevelopment Commission regarding the proposals. Committee members include Brian Tomamichel, chief financial officer with Westfield Washington Schools; Troy Patton, Westfield City Council member; Larry Clarino, board member with the Westfield Public Works and Safety; Dan Moyer, a Westfield business owner; Chuck Lehman, a former Westfield City Council member; and Jeremy Lollar, the city’s chief of staff.
At one time, the city had indicated that selling Grand Park was an option and previously said that if that were to occur, they would use the proceeds to pay off park debt. The city still owes nearly $80 million for the complex.
In December, Lollar said officials planned to conduct interviews with the seven entities that submitted proposals with the hope of having someone identified by March.
“What this group is going to do is evaluate them and decide if any are worthy of recommendation, and we’ll make that recommendation for you all to decide on,” Lollar told the Westfield City Council in December.
Lollar also told the council at the time that while it was unlikely that no viable recommendation will be made, it could remain a possibility. If that occurs, the city could continue to keep the complex and operate the way it has been, he added.
