Is there finally going to be sports complex in Vicksburg’s future?

That could depend on the outcome of a 5:30 p.m. public hearing Thursday at the City Hall Annex on Walnut Street.

For the past 11 months, the concept of a sports complex, where it should be and what it will cost, has been discussed by city officials and residents at forums, board meetings and at small gatherings. Thursday, it all comes together, and the public’s reaction what the Board of Mayor and Aldermen present Thursday evening could go a long way to determine whether a multi-purpose complex is built and where.

Several issues are already known:

• The city’s ad hoc committee on recreation has proposed a mega complex on 270 acres of land that includes baseball, softball and soccer fields, tennis, basketball and volleyball courts, and a multipurpose building and indoor swimming pool.

• The Legislature passed a local and private bill that allows the city, with public approval, to levy up to a 2 percent tax on hotel rooms and food and beverage sales in the city.

• A consultant hired by the city to examine three potential sites, the city’s Fisher Ferry property on Fisher Ferry Road, the former Mississippi Chemical site which is bordered on the west by the Mississippi River, and the expansion of Halls Ferry Park, determined Fisher Ferry is the most cost-effective site to build a sports complex.

Other questions remain. Are other parcels of land in the area under consideration? Will the city, if voters approve it in a referendum, levy all or part of the special tax? What facilities will be built on the as yet undetermined site?

Regardless of what the board has done so far, the final decision whether Vicksburg has a sports complex and it is funded by a specials sales tax will be up to its citizens. That is why it is important that people attend the Thursday hearing, listen to the board’s presentation, ask questions and get the facts.

This is a major project that can benefit the city and make Vicksburg a desired stop for tournaments and tourists. Residents owe it to themselves to get all the facts so they will know just what is going on, and decide for themselves whether they support the proposed complex or not.