Village-Run Sports Complex Sees Huge Hit To Revenue

LIBERTYVILLE, IL — The Greater Libertyville Soccer Association will lease a portion of the Libertyville Sports Complex from the village to run its winter youth soccer activities. The village-run Libertyville Sports Complex has been closed to the public since March 14 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last week, the Libertyville Village Board approved a lease agreement with the local soccer association for Jan. 1, 2021, through March 31, 2021. The GLSA will put down a $20,000 deposit and pay the village $195,000, or $65,000 per month, to lease the space within the complex, according to village documents.

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The move, village officials noted, seemed like a good option during the pandemic as the sports complex, which the village anticipated bringing in $2.3 million in revenue between May 1, 2020, and April 31, 2021, has not generated any "meaningful revenue," Nicholas Mostardo, finance director for the village of Libertyville, told Patch in an email response. He says only $200,000 in revenue, or 8.6 percent of the $2.3 million the village planned to have in its coffers at the end of the fiscal year, is expected.

"Since the facility has been closed, we have been able to reduce our operating expenses, but there are still some fixed costs which remain even with the facility shutdown," Mostardo said. Those costs include paying the electricity and gas bills to keep the facility functional.

"At this point we do not know when the facility will reopen — it all depends on the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic," he said. "Our goal is to keep fixed operating costs as low as possible while the facility is closed in order to offset the lack of revenue."

The GLSA approached the village about leasing the space this past summer, and the parks and recreation committee held several public hearing regarding the proposal where they discussed COVID-19 safety, a lease structure and fees payable to the village. On Nov. 3, the committee recommended the village board approve the lease agreement.

In addition, the village's parks and recreation committee has been reviewing the status of the facility on a monthly basis to determine potential ways to reopen.

But village officials say it is challenging to open the facility to the public "at this time due to the multipurpose nature of the building, with most activities having varied COVID-19 safety standards," Mostardo wrote in a Nov. 10 memo to the village board.