Mike Sherman, former head coach and general manager of the Green Bay Packers, has partnered with local businessman Warren Nighan to propose a $12 million world-class sports complex for Independence Park in Hyannis.

The facility, to be called Total Athletics Cape Cod, will feature a National Hockey League-sized ice rink, a full-sized, lighted outdoor turf field for football, baseball, lacrosse and soccer, a field house for indoor track and a smaller indoor turf field that could be used as a training facility for many sports.

The outdoor field would be covered by a bubble dome for use during the winter months, according to Sherman.

Other amenities planned for the site include a fitness center, pro shop, athletic training services, meeting room space, a rock wall, arcade and food and beverage services.

“The Cape desperately needs this facility,” said Sherman, noting that during this time of rampant opioid addiction, the region’s youth and young adults, ages 18 to 24, need a safe and healthy place to “avoid potholes and make good choices,” especially in the offseason.

“We want this to be a family-friendly, hands-on place," he said. "My sports contacts and his (Nighan’s) business acumen is a good match.”

The estimated price of the complex does not include the lease and/or purchase of an 8.6-acre parcel of land where it will be built. The property is owned by Cape Cod Aggregates and the Lorusso family, which is well known for its philanthropic activities in the region.

“I’m excited about this project. I had a vision for this property that involved a campus style environment for athletics and health and wellness,” Sam Lorusso Jr. said.

Pending town of Barnstable permitting and Cape Cod Commission approval, Sherman and Nighan are targeting a fall 2017 opening for the complex.

“We’d like to have shovels in the ground by November,” Nighan said.

The town of Barnstable Growth Management Department has been briefed on the plan.

“In terms of permitting, we haven’t received any formal application yet, but the industrial zoning allows for recreation ice rink facilities,” said Elizabeth Jenkins, principal planner for the town. “It’s a very permissive area as far as land use is concerned, and it can accommodate a broad range of uses."

Jenkins noted that the size of the project would trigger a Cape Cod Commission development of regional impact review.

As of press time, Paul Niedzwiecki, executive director of the Cape Cod Commission, had not returned a call for comment.

During an interview with the Times on Friday, Sherman and Nighan also stressed the economic benefits the complex would deliver to the region.

Plans call for the facility to host sports tournaments on the youth and adult levels that will attract athletes and spectators from throughout the United States, as well as trade shows and conventions.

“We want to keep people from Cape Cod on Cape Cod, and attract others to the Cape,” said Nighan, noting there are too many athletes and too much money headed over the bridge because of lack of adequate sports facilities on the Cape.

“The idea is very intriguing,” said Wendy Northcross, executive director of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce. “We did a study of the feasibility of introducing more sports tourism to the Cape and it said we could benefit from more facilities, such as an indoor field house and more outdoor fields. It (the complex) would increase our value proposition when attracting visitors to come here."

The project has many similarities to a sports-oriented development that had been planned for the “golden triangle” area of Sandwich, with the exception of hotels and a convention center. That plan, however, has encountered many hurdles at the town level and appears unlikely to move forward.

The planned complex is also less than three miles from the municipally owned and operated Hyannis Youth & Community Center, which has two ice rinks, a gymnasium and indoor walking track.

Barnstable Town Manager Thomas Lynch, though, believes the two operations can coexist.

“We would look at ways to partner with them to increase recreational and skating opportunities, Lynch said. ”We’d be more than willing and would look forward to a meeting with the principals and our recreation staff to see where there would be opportunities for partnering. We built a community center, not a commercial enterprise.”

Sherman moved to West Dennis in 2014 after leaving his offensive coordinator position with the Miami Dolphins, and currently is the head football coach at Nauset Regional High School in Eastham.

Nighan also moved to the Cape two years ago after a successful career as a senior corporate executive in the medical and pharmaceutical industries.

 

Source : capecodtimes.com

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