The city’s site selection committee for the proposed sports complex for the city of Vicksburg is expected to have one more meeting before a final decision on a site is announced July 10, but at least two of the committee’s seven members indicated their choices where they want to put it — either Fisher Ferry or the Vicksburg Municipal Airport.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen discussed the sports complex at a Monday work session.

“We haven’t found anything better than we already have (Fisher Ferry and the airport),” said South Ward Thompson, who favors the airport property. “We’ve got two properties, we own them, the space is adequate and we won’t have to do a lot of earth work.

“In my opinion, whatever we decide to do, we’ll be making the best decision using what we already have. I think we ought to keep going. I think we’ve passed the point of meeting, because we know what’s out there.”

Mayor George Flaggs Jr. told Thompson and North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield, who jointly chair the site committee, to schedule one last committee meeting to get the opinions of the other members, Warren County Supervisors Bill Lauderdale and John Arnold, county administrator John Smith, city Public Works Director Garnet Van Norman and recreation director Joe Graves.

He said he wanted the site recommendation to come from the entire committee.

“I think in all fairness to the county and fairness to the people, you have to meet, discuss whatever you’re going to discuss and agree or disagree and bring it back to us and we can decide,” Flaggs said. “I would be more comfortable if the committee voted and vetted it and came out of there (with a decision).”

The committee had considered property on Mississippi 27 near U.S. 80, U.S. 61 North south of Merit Health River Region Medical Center and Ring Road off U.S. 61 South, southeast of the airport. The airport became a possibility June 8 when Flaggs mentioned it as a possible site.

Mayfield said buying one of the other sites could cost the city between $15,000 to $20,000 an acre.

“We’ll probably spend $3 to $4 million to purchase the property, and you’re not going to find a piece of property anywhere in Warren County where you don’t need a lot of work,” he said. “You’re going to have hills and you’re going to have hollows. You’re going to be filling and you’re going to be moving dirt. It’s going to be hard to find something outside of what we own that you’re not going to do a lot of work on.”

The airport property, he said, “is probably going to be as level as you’ll find around here where you have a great number of acres, and we know the issues we face at Fisher Ferry. “

And while the city faces the likelihood of having to reimburse the Federal Aviation Administration more than $800,000 in grants for safety improvements at the airport, Thompson said repaying the FAA would be easier for the city than spending up to $4 million to buy another piece of property.

He said the city could possibly use the airport and the Fisher Ferry property for recreation.

“I’m not quite sold on one everything has to go on one site,” Thompson said. “We can make enhancements around the city. I think we can save money, and the money we save, that’s more money we can use for construction if we do it. I just think that’s the best course of action as I see it.”

Flaggs said the perception of the sports complex is it will be used for daily recreation, adding while it will have facilities for recreation like walking and bicycle paths, it’s primary purpose is economic development.

“This complex, in my opinion, if it’s done right, is to create tourism and economic development in our community,” Flaggs said. “It will be something different, not only in the city, but in this state. I think also we cannot take our eye off expanding and improving our other facilities, but that’s for Vicksburg and every day use.”

He said the complex would be built, managed and operated by a private company under a lease purchase agreement with an independent five-member commission overseeing operations.

The Legislature in March approved a local and private bill allowing the city, with voter approval, to levy up to a 2 mill hotel and food and beverage tax to fund the complex. A referendum on the tax is tentatively set for Jan. 12.