City leaders in Macomb continue to hold weekly meetings with a pair of consultants, Sports Facilities Companies and Integra Realty Resources, to discuss the possibility of building an indoor sports complex in Macomb.
“We’re formulating a plan that would put us on track to receive the data that we need from IRR for us to present to the council on whether this is a project we can finance and pay for or not, which is a pretty much yes or no response to moving forward to the next step,” said Mayor Mike Inman.
The facility would be built with the idea of hosting tournaments that draw teams and supporters from out of town.
“At the end of the day, this is an economic development project that we’re looking to bring to the community,” the mayor said.
Sports Facilities Companies is the firm that conducted a study that found it would be feasible to build a sports complex in Macomb, and IRR is the firm hired to help the city complete a financial analysis and determine the best method to fund the proposed project.
A public forum is possible
Inman said the city is working to schedule a public forum for later this month, when both consulting firms will have representatives in town.
He said the forum would be an opportunity for the community to hear updates about the proposal. Inman said while city leaders are always interested in hearing from residents and answering questions, the forum would not be an opportunity for public input about the project.
“We’ve already sought input from our consultant on what this project looks like, paid them good money to tell us what sports to look for, what the market looks like, the sustainability of the building and the process moving forward,” he said.
No property tax increase
Inman said the city has made it “absolutely clear” that no property tax increase can be part of the funding plan for the sports complex.
“That’s a non-starter from the very beginning. They understand that. They got the message loud and clear,” the mayor said.
The city expects to receive the financial analysis from IRR by early next year.
City council members would then decide whether to proceed. If they do, the next step would be development of a design for the building.
Turning up the heat
Inman said the city has been working on the idea for the past year-and-a-half. He called it a complicated process.
“We’re not at all married to this project yet. We continue to do our due diligence about whether it’s feasible, whether it works for our community,” Inman said.
He said the city has not put “all of our eggs in one basket” in terms of economic development possibilities, but the proposed sports complex is the project city leaders are “laser-focused on” right now.
“To say that we don’t have other ideas, we do. But this is the one on the front burner and we’re turning up the heat,” Inman said.
He said city leaders have narrowed the list of possible sites for the sports complex, but declined to provide details.
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