Mattoon City Council to host sports complex presentation to public | Government and Politics | jg-tc.com

2022-07-23 06:27:48 By : Mr. Anson Hsu

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MATTOON — The City Council plans Tuesday, July 19, to host a presentation to the public on a proposal for a $66 million sports complex project aimed at promoting economic development.

The presentation by the project's prospective developers is scheduled to take place at 6:30 p.m. during the council's regular bimonthly meeting, which will be held Burgess-Osborne Memorial Auditorium instead of City Hall. Council members heard this presentation and asked related questions during their special public meeting on July 8.

Mayor Rick Hall said the presentation at the upcoming meeting will provide an opportunity for the general public to have questions addressed about the proposed sports complex at the southwest corner of Illinois Route 16 and Interstate 57. He has said this meeting will be held in the auditorium, 1701 Wabash Ave., because there is more room for public attendance there.

The presentation is set to be given once again by Blake Pierce, finance director for Rural King, and John Hansen, managing director for IRR corporate and public finance. Mattoon-based Rural King has offered to donate 96 acres for development of the sports complex. The development area would total 150 acres, with indoor and outdoor sports components on the 96 acres and with hotels, restaurants and stores on adjacent land owned by Rural King.

Plans call for developing a 140,000-square-foot indoor facility with eight basketball and 16 volleyball courts, locker rooms, family entertainment center, medical tenant space, and seating for approximately 3,000. The outdoor plans envision developing eight baseball/softball diamonds, eight soccer fields, championship fields and warm-up areas, and a walking/bike path.

This athletics site would be owned by a planned Mattoon Sports Complex nonprofit corporation and operated by a sports facility management firm. The proposed source of $49.4 million of the needed funding would be a private sector bond issue that would be paid off over about 30 years with property, sales and hotel occupancy tax revenue generated by the development. Other funding sources would include $10 million from donations, $4 million from grants/infrastructure programs, and $10.4 million from a bank loan.

Backers project that the development will create 1,660 construction jobs and 1,152 direct and indirect permanent jobs; and annually bring in 250,000 to 580,000 visitors, $23.8 million in direct spending, and 59,278 additional hotel stays.

The council is not scheduled to take any action on the sport complex at Tuesday's meeting, but will consider voting sometime in August on a resolution of intent to indicate support for the development and to authorize further work to refine the plans.

During Tuesday's meeting, the council is scheduled to vote on hiring Kross Masonry of Charleston for $49,111 to make masonry repairs next spring to the top 7 feet of the walls around City Hall.

"The original amount was budgeted partially in TIF (tax increment financing funds) and partially in capital project funds," said Public Works Director Dean Barber in a report. "This contract will be paid from one of those two funds. The final selection would be best left until spring, when we have a better idea on how some of the other projects in those funds are developing."

The council also will consider creating a full-time festivals coordinator position to replace the need for two temporary positions in the tourism office and appointing temporary worker Mindy White as coordinator.  Other proposed actions include hiring Caleb Payne as a probationary police patrol officer, and promoting firefighters Zachary Dye and Joshua Welling to the rank of driver/engineer.

1959: In an effort to better serve the growing needs of the Midwest, Southwest and Far West market for flexible metal hose and tubing the American Brass Co. built its American Metal Hose Division plant in Mattoon.

1963: A new line of paving equipment is exhibited by the Mattoon Blaw Knox plant at the Construction Equipment Exposition and Road Show, Chicago.

1988: Burtschi is the first store in Illinois south of Springfield to offer Hummel figurines. 

1959: The Eastern Division of the CIPS is completing a move into the new building in Mattoon. The structure has 36 offices and 23,000 square feet of office space. 

1991: The CTA office is carpeted, air conditioned, well-lit and features work stations designed around employee needs. Telemarketers generated $435 billion in sales last year. For each customer who says yes, 99 say no. 

1977: Acquisition of the Douglas Nursing Center will complete another phase in Wesley Tower's total care package. 

1985: aerial view of downtown Mattoon. 

1992: A group of children wait in line to challenge the winner to a game of tether ball at the E. Rudy Street housing project. 

1992: A bicyclist pedals along East Rudy Street where a row of new duplexes were built, next to a subsidized housing project. 

1989: Pat and Rodney Williamson are ready to dine. Owner Leonard Losch looks on at Ellen Kay's. 

1950: Proof that flash photography has become a national hobby is the Mattoon plant of the General Electric Co. which manufactures flash bulbs almost exclusively. A few incandescent or regular light bulbs in larger wattages are made here also. 

1965: The school is housed in the former Humble Oil Co. building on Route 45 on the south side of Mattoon. 

Contact Rob Stroud at (217) 238-6861. Follow him on Twitter: @TheRobStroud

Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.

Rob Stroud is a reporter for the JG-TC, covering the city of Mattoon, Lake Land College, Cumberland County and areas including Oakland, Casey and Martinsville.

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