Metro Atlanta’s new ultimate youth sports destination is slated to bring in $20 million in annual tax revenue, as well as provide ultimate fun for a number of youth! Slated to be built in the City of Emerson in Bartow County, he development of LakePoint Sporting Community and Town Center will firmly place Bartow County and the City of Emerson on the map. The county is already home of several notable museums, including the Booth Western Art Museum and Tellus.

Dream Parks at LakePoint, a 262 acre sports complex will be the center of the LakePoint Sporting Community, a 1,380 acre commercial, retail and mixed-use development. Dream Parks at LakePoint will host baseball, lacrosse and soccer tournaments at a state-of-the-art commercial, retail and mixed-use development.

Dream Parks at Lakepoint will be anchored by three major tenants: Perfect Game, Inc., the world’s largest and most comprehensive baseball scouting company, NASA (North Atlanta Soccer Association and LB3 Lacrosse.

It’s no surprise that the cast of characters involved in the project development team includes some well-known sports figures: Bobby Cox, former manager of the Atlanta Braves, Ned Yost, Kansas City Royals Manager and Fredi Gonzalez, Atlanta Braves Manager.

“Dream Parks at LakePoint promotes a healthier youth,” said Bobby Cox. “After all our youth are the future and this project will have a two-fold positive effect not only foreconomic stimulus, but also the physical and developmental well-being of our youth,” said Cox.

Other components of the park include:

• 16 tournament Baseball Fields – state-of-the-art fields with the latest high performance sports turf technology
• Dream Parks at LakePoint will serve as Sportexe, a division of Shaw Industries “International Showroom” for high performance sports turf
• 12 Tournament Soccer/Lacrosse Fields
• Year round tournament Play – host to existing tournaments already put on by the 3 anchor tenants
• More than 1 Million SF of Mixed-Use and Retail space with around 20 Restaurants and Entertainment Venues; drawing some of the top retail tenants to the park.
• 100,000 SF indoor facilities for wrestling, gymnastics, cheerleading and volleyball
• Estimated 4,000 hotel keys on-site
• Dream Parks at LakePoint will strive to develop an adjacent Research Park for sports related companies and organizations
• Dream Parks at LakePoint will have a robust mentoring program for disadvantaged youth
• The park will be home to the first “High School World Series”
• Dream Parks at LakePoint will have Miracle League fields for those with special needs

“This is an exciting project for the City of Emerson, said Al Pallone, Mayor of the City of Emerson. “Even in this dire economy a development like this, which is based on sports which still remains a stronger aspect of our slowing economy will create great economic impact for the citizens of Emerson and all of Bartow County,” Pallone said.

The first pitch, kick and shot are slated for Summer 2012. To learn more about Dream Parks at LakePoint, please click on www.lakepointsports.com

According to reports from HometownHeadlines, regional planners have concurred that the Dream Parks mixed-use project off I-75 in Emerson “warrants regional review.” A look at newly disclosed impact information shows why:

• The overall value of the project is listed as $750 million to $1 billion.
• Estimated annual tax revenues: $20 million.
• The city of Emerson would be responsible for providing water service and wastewater disposal at a rate of 1.855 million gallons a day.
• Solid waste disposal would top 28,637 tons — a year.
• By chance, the project will displace an inert 89.49-acre landfill.
• Peak vehicle traffic in the afternoons/evenings would be 9,351 vehicles per hour.
• A five-lane parkway through the heart of the project is planned as well as other road modifications and additions connecting Red Top Mountain, U.S. 41.