A meeting called to discuss the possibility of a sports complex in Adair County left more questions than answers, but it did prove that the overall concept has been well received by the community.
The meeting was called by the Columbia-Adair Economic Development Authority following a request by Mayor Pam Hoots for the EDA to use a portion of the Green River Commerce Park for a sports complex.
EDA discussed the issue during the March meeting, and the board invited the mayor to attend an April meeting.
In the meantime, however, Board Chairman Larry Walker visited with Hoots, and Hoots said Walker told her the EDA board did not believe a sports complex was an appropriate use of the park. EDA has received state funding to develop the park for economic development, and board members voiced concern during the special called meeting about using it for anything other than its intended use.
Hoots did not attend the April meeting and stated during the special called meeting and in a letter to the editor that she considered the issue closed. She said she had a nice meeting with Walker and, when he said the board did not want to use the park for this purpose, she said that was okay and she would look at other options.
Hoots said she has conducted research into ways to fund a sports complex. She said grant money cannot be used to purchase the property but is available for developing the park.
EDA board members and guests at the special called meeting voiced support for a sports complex. EDA board member Richard Phelps said several people visited a sports complex in Elizabethtown to see how it is operated. That complex is funded by a restaurant tax, a topic that has caused a lot of conversation locally and on social media.
Heather Spoon, a consultant with EDA, said there is becoming a concentration of sports complexes in the state and it has been suggested that they find a special niche area, specifically a sport that is in need of additional fields for competitions.
There was no action taken by the EDA at the meeting. Hoots appeared to be ready to continue her pursuit for a park, but she has made it clear that she would not support a restaurant tax or any other tax increase to fund the facility.
In his address, Walker talked about the efforts EDA has made to improve the park and make it attractive for potential industry. Full details of those improvements may be found in a letter to the editor from Walker in last week’s Community Voice.
