Carson City seeks to host one sports tournament a month at MAC

One sports tournament a month is the goal for the Carson City multi-purpose athletic center (MAC) currently under construction, key officials said Monday.

Roger Moellendorf, Parks and Recreation Department director, and Joel Dunn, executive director of the city’s Visitors Bureau, made that clear in a report to the bureau’s board. Moellendorf said a meeting has been held and more will be with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Western Nevada to pave the way for tournaments at the facility.

“We’re committed to try to bring those in one weekend per month,” said Moellendorf, citing cold month economic development benefits for the community and lodging properties. Dunn agreed and was optimistic it can be done.

“I don’t see that it’s going to be any problem to have one a month,” said Dunn, who will recruit among sports tournament directors and put them in touch with Parks and Recreation officials to move forward. He spoke, for example, of such events as 24-team basketball tournaments.

Moellendorf said MAC construction is going well on Russell Way near the Boys and Girls Club, adding it is expected to be done by December with use perhaps as early as January, 2016.

In other action, the board voted unanimously to name Stan Jones, a board member and the co-owner of The Purple Avocado retail shop, to serve as the bureau’s representative on Carson City’s Cultural Commission.

In addition, Dunn told the board he is submitting to the Nevada Department of Taxation a draft Fiscal Year 2016 budget with some changes that anticipates a 3 percent increase in bureau revenues. Bureau budget action comes later. Dunn called his revenue projection conservative. He said one large addition would be $25,000 more in anticipation of securing and putting on an Epic Rides mountain biking event in June of 2016.

Dunn reported city government is currently dealing with the memorandum of understanding for the mountain biking event.

“I’m expecting it (the memorandum) next week,” said Dunn. Dunn said the event will require some investment but will bring in 2,000 riders and many others when it is held.

In his director’s report, Dunn said lodging occupancy and revenues were up for February in the latest figures available. Occupancy for the top 13 properties in February was up 11 percent from last year, almost 2.5 percent compared with the same month in 2013. Total February revenues for all lodging properties were up 23 percent from February last year, more than 21 percent from the same month in 2013.