The Chula Vista City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the framework for a possible takeover of the Olympic Training Center.
All that’s left is for the City Council to approve the contract at its Feb. 16 council meeting.
If all goes well, the city of Chula Vista will take ownership of the Olympic Training Center on Jan. 1, 2017, under a proposed new name: The Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Facility, USOC Olympic and Paralympic Training Site.
The City Council’s approval came a day after the United States Olympic Committee board approved the transfer of the 150-acre complex to Chula Vista. The USOC will transfer to the city the land, facilities and equipment comprising the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center for $1.
The city must operate the facility as a USOC training site. The USOC has agreed to be the main tenant at the site for four years with options to extend the agreement.
Deputy City Manager Kelly Bacon said the estimated operational cost for the Olympic Training Center is $7 million. The USOC has agreed to commit a minimum of $3 million annually for a guarantee of 60 beds and related services for their athletes.
The USOC will continue to fund 11 sport performance employees at the facility, continue to maintain the medical buildings and services for the athletes.
The city and the USOC selected the Point Loma Trust as the facility’s operator. The Point Loma Trust is affiliated with Point Loma Nazarene University but is independent of the university, Bacon said.
“The Point Loma Trust was selected as our preferred operator not only because they understood the vision of the city and the USOC in operating the facility as an elite athlete training facility but they also have assured us that they have the resources to operate the facility,” Bacon said.
Bacon said the remaining $4 million to operate the facility will come from the Point Loma Trust, from college teams and high school teams using the facility as well as from special events.
Bacon said a contract was finalized with the United States Olympic Committee last Friday. Bacon said the city didn’t post the contract with the resolution for last week’s meeting because the city didn’t have time.
When The Star-News asked for a copy of the contract, Bacon said she didn’t want to release it until attorneys looked it over. She said in an email that the draft is completed and will be finalized by the end of the week for signatures.
Chula Vista resident Peter Watry did his own study analyzing the general funds of 12 cities as large as National City.
His study concluded that Chula Vista ranks last in general fund expenditures per person.
He said it would be damaging to the city if it used money from the general fund to finance and operate the training center.
“The city puts the general fund at risk if Point Loma Trust is not responsible for the overshoots of the cost,” he said.
“We shouldn’t use the general fund.”
Bacon said the agreement with Point Loma Trust will be structured with terms to protect the city and the city’s general fund.
“Part of our agreement with Point Loma Trust is that they bear any (financial) shortfalls,” Bacon said.
Councilwoman Pamela Bensoussan questioned the length of the agreement with the USOC as tenants.
“How can you expect the Point Loma folks to come in and make a big investment, to be shooed away in four years doesn’t make sense,” she said.
Bacon said the USOC only signed up for four years because it’s based on how the USOC does its budgeting.
