Plans have been announced for a $100 million sports complex to come to central Mississippi, but there have been doubts circulating that the project will actually come to fruition.
The project, coined the Gluckstadt MegaDome Sports Complex, has initial plans to construct three domes that will facilitate almost all major sports and aquatic activities. An on-site hotel and local restaurants are anticipated to be constructed alongside the sports center.
828 Sports Ventures and Turn Key Properties have entered into an official land agreement on a 43-acre site at Highway 51 and Weisenberger Road for the future travel destination. Gluckstadt Mayor Walter Morrison says the project will not cost local taxpayers a dime.
“We made it very clear from the beginning when these folks contacted me that Gluckstadt wasn’t going to be able to be a financial contributor toward this project,” Morrison said on The Gallo Show. “We are in such the early stages of this city’s development. I don’t think that would be a wise investment for us now. We’ve just got basic fundamental needs that need to be taken care of — I don’t think it would be a good idea.”
Morrison, admittedly skeptical of any investment totaling $100 million coming to the area with no added incentives from the government, has had many of his doubts squashed by the fact that financial relief has not been requested from the city to make the idea of the sports complex a reality.
“I think that they realized early on that the city was just not in a position to contribute financially toward this investment. They have not asked us for any types of incentives,” Morrison continued. “The project is a long way from being completed — a long way from probably being started, so we’ll see what happens going forward.”
Morrison is hopeful that the MegaDome, if it comes to fruition, will attract sports tournaments featuring teams and clubs from across the country, making Gluckstadt a nationally known destination for athletics.
