“We’ve nailed it down.”

Those were the words Monday from Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs Jr. as he laid out a resolution that outlines the city’s proposed sports complex on Fisher Ferry Road.

“We’ve nailed it down.”

In addition to laying out how the project will be constructed, how the park will be managed and the property that will be used, the resolution also lays out how Flaggs proposes the project be paid for.

“We’ve nailed it down.”

For months — sorry, years — the idea of the sports complex has been discussed. At times, those discussions have been very active, complete with committees, boards and blue ribbon commissions.

We have often joked that the only piece of property not considered for this project is the property that currently is the home of the city’s ballparks and tennis courts.

Through it all, this newspaper has been supportive of the idea, and through our coverage, including Sunday’s in-depth reporting, I feel confident the newspaper will continue to be supportive.

There is no doubt that a new sports complex will be a huge asset to the Vicksburg and Warren County community. The improved amenities will only add to the quality of life for those who live here and would be used to help attract others to call Vicksburg and Warren County their home.

But, despite Flaggs’ declaration that “we’ve nailed it down,” there is a lot of work to be done and a lot of questions to be answered.

And, in no particular order, those questions begin with how will the project be funded and how can Fisher Ferry and Halls Ferry roads handle the increased traffic?

The question of funding will be answered in a June 2017 vote of a proposed 2 percent lodging and restaurant tax that will also be tied to the city’s municipal election. While it is disappointing that we must wait another year and half to have this important detail resolved, at least there is a fixed date to focus on.

As for the roads, that is a bigger, tougher question to answer. Already Fisher Ferry and Halls Ferry roads are congested and at times stressed with the traffic tied to school traffic and traffic tied to the Corps’ facilities. What would happen with the new sports complex hosts a major youth baseball or softball tournament could be problematic.

Overall, it is encouraging to have this sports complex project to this point. There seems to be some decisions that have been finalized and most are getting on the same page.

But, there’s a lot left to be done and there’s a lot of selling and explaining that must be done to convince the city’s electorate to support the proposed tax. So, maybe it’s a good thing we have nearly a year and half to get it nailed down.

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Tim Reeves is publisher of The Vicksburg Post. You may reach him at tim.reeves@vicksburgpost.com