JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) – The steering committee for the Jonesboro sports complex has narrowed down its architectural companies to three. The selected company will work closely with the committee and the community to help design the new complex.

The proposed site for the sports complex is located at Race Street and McClellan Drive.

The 200,000-square-foot facility would include basketball courts, turf fields, and an indoor aquatics area, complete with a 50-meter pool, diving boards, spectator seating, and a warm-up pool with a splash pad. Additionally, a 22,000-square-foot outdoor aquatics is in the works.

Each of the three companies received a 45-minute timeframe to present their ideas to the steering committee. Some companies passed out pamphlets, and others used PowerPoint to get their ideas across.

Kevin Hodges is the chairman of the committee, and he said they are looking to break dirt on the complex sometime next summer. He added that picking the right architectural company is a very important part of the process.

“This is a grassroots community facility that will be here for decades,” said Hodges.

Each firm had its own strengths and weakness and the committee listened and took notes on each one.

“Along with the experience, and with the fact that they want to become a partner and be part of the fabric of our community,” said Hodges.

The companies had their own ideas and presented them all differently, hitting on specific points that caught the attention of the audience.

Each firm also referred to previous projects they had worked on as well as the projects’ main focus, which included:

• Brg3s and Populus (Memphis, TN)
  • Helped design the new Memphis Sports complex.
  • Focused on economic development
• HKS (Richmond, VA)
  • Worked on the indoor baseball facility at the University of Arkansas.
  • Focused on design
• Hastings-Chivetta (St. Louis, MO) and Crafton Tull (Little Rock, AR)
  • Worked on the Rogers Aquatics Center
  • Focused on aquatics

The committee made the decision to host the vote on Thursday, Nov. 17.

This will give each member time to balance each company’s strengths and weaknesses and come to an educated decision on which company will head the project.

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