By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Look for a “sometime in January” or March opening of the $3.5 million sporting facility, according to Jacksonville Mayor Gary Fletcher.
The facility on 160 acres off Loop and Graham roads near the Lonoke County line is being financed by a promised $2 million grant from the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, about $500,000 from the city’s Advertising and Promotion Commission, private donations, county assistance and a $3 million short-term line of credit.
The mayor said a group has already asked to use one of the meeting rooms in mid- December, “and I think we will be able to accommodate them.”
But there will be a soft opening in January, Fletcher insisted.
Parks and Recreation director Kevin House said a big, full blown opening with a ribbon cutting and dignitaries will be in early March.
“That allows us to get the all the kinks worked out before tournaments start,” House said.
He said the facility is almost finished, but there is still dirt work to be done and that’s where weather is holding back completion.
“The last few days haven’t been good work days because of the rain and cold,” Fletcher said. “Even if we get it all done before that, we will still wait until after the first of the year because of the holidays and we want to have some dry runs to make sure everything is top notch.”
The work has actually been costing the contractor, StoneBridge of Jonesboro, money since early September.
“That’s when their contract days ran out. Their work is very good, but they are behind,” House said.
“It was originally set for Aug. 31, then a hopeful Oct. 1,” he explained. He’s not sure when it will open for certain.
House is excited about the number of sport-shooting leagues and teams that may use facility.
“There are 59 youth teams within an hour of us that we’d like to get into the facility,” he said.
Plans are in the works for local youth and adult leagues. “This is a sport where you can shoot from 9 to 90,” House said.
Once built, the facility will become the home of the state’s youth sport-shooting program. That alone is projected to bring about $4.5 million into the local economy.
When it does open, House will serve as the manager, at least to start with. The city had hired an individual from the parks and recreation department to manage the $3 million, 14-station sport-shooting range, but he resigned from the parks department a few weeks later.
“For the time being, we are not going to hire a manager,” House said. “We are taking a close look at the requirements, duties and salary for that individual for when we do go out seeking the individual.”
In the meantime, the mayor said everyone would step up.
“We will not neglect any duty of the parks and recreation department or the shooting range,” Fletcher said.
