Baker City and Baker County have a tremendous opportunity in a mint field in north Baker City. The 70-acre patch, sodden today with snowmelt from recent storms, could someday yield significant economic returns.

Baker County bought the property in late 2022 from the Ward family for $1.45 million. County commissioners used money from the $6.5 million the county received in federal pandemic aid. The land is bordered on the north by Hughes Lane, on the east and south by the Leo Adler Memorial Parkway, and on the west by the Baker Sports Complex.

Commissioners and other county officials are working on a plan to build a multipurpose event center, potentially including three buildings, on the property.

It is an ambitious proposal, even in its current preliminary form. The facility could include:

• An indoor sports/concert/convention facility with four to six basketball/volleyball courts possibly usable for other sports, locker rooms with showers, fixed seating for 3,000 to 4,500 spectators, as well as multiple meeting rooms. The building would also have office spaces, concession areas and a commercial kitchen.

• Indoor rodeo arena with 3,000 to 4,000 bleacher seats.

• Covered riding/staging arena for animals.

• RV park with 30 spaces with full hookups.

• Parking for at least 1,000 cars.

The projected cost is significant.

Although the county won’t have a firm estimate until commissioners choose a design — currently an architectural firm is working on a master site plan — Bryan Tweit, the county’s contracted economic developer, said the facility could cost from $30 million to $70 million.

Tweit is confident that the county can secure the money through grants, and that the county will not need to spend additional local dollars. Given the scale of the project, finding outside revenue sources that don’t commit dollars from county coffers is the only feasible option.

The potential benefits to the local economy, and to local residents, are considerable.

The complex would greatly expand the opportunities for sports and other activities for Baker County residents.

With its convenient location adjacent to the sports complex, tennis courts and Baker High School, the addition of a new facility would create a venue unmatched in Eastern Oregon.

Moreover, the new complex could host a variety of new events, such as trade shows, sports tournaments, conventions and rodeos, all of which could bring hundreds or thousands of visitors to Baker City, a boon for motels, restaurants and other businesses.

Tweit said he’s confident that revenue from events would more than pay for utilities and other costs to run the complex.

He also believes the property is the ideal new site for the Baker County Fairgrounds.

Many things have to happen to bring this concept to fruition, of course.

In addition to raising money, the county would need to apply to rezone the property from residential to commercial. The complex would affect nearby neighborhoods, including Kirkway Drive, just to the east across the Powder River. It would generate significant traffic on Hughes Lane.

None of these challenges ought to be insurmountable.

Considering the potential benefits such a complex could bring to Baker County, it’s certainly justified for county officials to continue working on the project.

The county also has a potential source of money for some of the preliminary tasks (not including construction) — lodging tax revenue.

That tax, which guests pay when they stay at motels, vacation rentals, RV parks and other lodging establishment, has generated record revenue the past two years. The tax, which is 7% of the rental rate, brought in $860,000 for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2023, the most since the county imposed the tax more than 20 years ago.

The county’s lodging tax ordinance requires that the county spend 70% of the money for tourism marketing and 25% for economic development (the county, which administers the tax, can keep up to 5% for administrative costs). The event complex would seem to qualify under either tourism marketing or economic development.