Columbia Parks and Recreation expansion efforts to consider CoMo Roller Derby

Jul 19, 2023

Parks and Recreation officials are working to find a home for the CoMo Roller Derby team separate from the Sports Fieldhouse.

COLUMBIA — The Columbia City Council unanimously approved Phase II of the Columbia Sports Fieldhouse expansion at its meeting Monday, potentially creating a new chapter in a years-long period of negotiations between Columbia Parks and Recreation and the CoMo Roller Derby team.

The expansion will add over 40,000 square feet to the sports fieldhouse, including four hardwood courts for basketball, volleyball and pickleball, office space, restroom facilities, a multipurpose room and more seating. It would also grow the parking lot to more than 200 spaces.

To cover the $5.8 million cost of the expansion, Parks and Recreation proposed that $1.5 million will come from the city's 2021 Park Sales Tax, $1 million from the Convention and Visitors Bureau and $3.3 million from the city's general fund. Construction will begin this summer and is expected to be completed by fall 2024.

But CoMo Roller Derby will likely not be able to use the expanded facility, even after beginning negotiations with Parks and Rec in 2019 to find a home for the team.

CoMo Roller Derby hosted a bout on May 6 at the Bob Lemone Building in Hallsville. The team is looking for a spot to call home.

Currently, CoMo Roller Derby holds its bouts in the Bob Lemone Building at the Hallsville Community Fairgrounds. It moved its competitions and indoor practices there when Empire Roller Rink permanently closed in 2018.

Holts Summit resident Jamie Kleinsorge joined the CoMo Roller Derby in 2011 and has played a key role in negotiations with Parks and Rec. She helped organize a bout that over 600 people attended specifically to raise money for a floor within the sports fieldhouse, and she said that the team wants to be true to its name.

"It would be great to have a rink of some kind," Kleinsorge said at the team's bout on May 6. "I think more importantly, a multi-purpose facility [in Columbia]. Twisters Hockey... would also love to have an indoor venue that's air conditioned, that has concessions, that has bathrooms, you know, all of those kinds of things. That's what we're looking for as well. We know that we can get more people to show up if we were in Columbia."

After originally considering the Phase II expansion at its April 3 meeting, the city council tabled a vote to allow for the city to consider housing CoMo Roller Derby within the fieldhouse.

Gabe Huffington, Parks and Rec director, said they consulted the Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association about the use of roller skates on the hardwood floors.

"What I learned from the bout was how they skate, and it's a competitive sport," Huffington said. "And as they fall down and hit the court, what does that do to that court?"

To optimally preserve the gymnasium hardwood floors currently at the fieldhouse, maintenance includes an annual polyurethane finish and gradual resurfacing of the floors once every eight to 10 years. Use of roller skates on these floors, which have an expected lifespan of 80 years, would require more frequent upkeep efforts, according to Huffington.

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"They have some general considerations to make, but they also talked to us a little bit about what we would have to do with that facility," Huffington said. "Depending on the amount of roller skating you do, you will have to do some annual maintenance more often. So we don't get from annual [finishing], we may be looking at doing maintenance on the floor twice per year, three times per year. There's a cost associated with that, but there's also a cost because it's an oil-based polyurethane, you have to close the facility for two weeks."

Huffington added that resurfacing would have to be done every two to four years to adequately repair wood damaged by roller skates.

At the April 3 meeting, city manager DeCarlon Seewood also confirmed that the city's warranty on the floors would immediately expire if roller skates were used on the surface.

Instead, Parks and Rec is considering the development of its Northeast Regional Park site, the home of the Boone County Fair. Boone County transferred ownership of the property to the city of Columbia in 2020, and lease agreements with local businesses involving some of the 21 buildings expired at the end of 2022.

"We're doing a feasibility study for Northeast [Regional] Park. There's some large buildings in that Parks location, and a lot of things are going to be happening there," Huffington said. "And so we're working on a feasibility study that will determine our user group, our patterns for use, how we can have a facility that will be operational seven days per week, and so we wanted to make sure we talked to the CoMo Roller Derby because we do see them as a really good partner because of the needs."

Huffington said results from the feasibility study are expected to be released by the end of June, and Parks and Rec will consult the public on potential development plans.

He added that funding from the 2021 Park Sales Tax will be available for new development in fiscal year 2025, which he says would put a multi-purpose facility housing roller skating sports, gymnastics and wrestling on track for completion in 2025.

CoMo Roller Derby took a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the group resumed competitive play last fall and has already hosted three home bouts and multiple beginner sessions this year. The team, which itself is a nonprofit, also fundraises and volunteers for local philanthropic organizations, including PROMO Missouri, Alternative Community Training, the Food Bank of Central and Northeast Missouri and more.

"If we can either give money or time, we're happy to do that," Kleinsorge said. "We've got a lot of people, so many hands makes light work."

The team participates in a Midwest division of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association, which is "committed to inclusive and anti-discrimination practices in relation to all transgender women, intersex women, and gender expansive participants, and aims to ensure that all skaters’, volunteers’, and employees’ rights are respected and protected."

Kleinsorge encourages those who are interested in participating to attend a bout or beginner skating session to meet the team and learn more about a growing sport.

"It's just one of those things where it's very inclusive," Kleinsorge said. "We welcome anyone, whether you skate or don't skate. If you want to be a part of our organization, we will find a role for you, because we know that sometimes it's hard to find a community. It's hard to find people you can trust, people you can count on, and I think that's something that we do for each other. We're always looking to make sure people are engaged and welcomed and that we're not leaving anybody out."

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The Columbia mayor also confirmed that two CPD officers accused of excessive force will not work for the city by the end of the week.

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