The City of Vicksburg is preparing to file a lawsuit against a Florida-based company that has failed to pay back $250,000 the city advanced for a feasibility study of a community sports center, Mayor Laurence Leyens said Wednesday.

“Enough time has passed,” Leyens said. “They didn’t fulfill their contract and I’ve asked (City Attorney) Nancy (Thomas) to begin seeking legal relief.”

With little public discussion, city officials advanced $250,000 to Jacksonville Beach, Fla.-based USA Partners Sports Alliance in June 2007. The payment was to be refundable if a public recreation complex proved unfeasible or if USAPSA could not raise $2.5 million within 12 months of determining that a development was sustainable.

Leyens said USAPSA Chief Executive Officer J.D. Daniel has been giving the city the run-around about the reimbursement since last year. In December, Thomas said that Daniel had agreed the money was owed and said it would be rebated by the end of February.

“We speak to him weekly,” Leyens said. “It’s always, ‘I’m getting it. I’m good for it. Don’t worry about it,’ but at the end of the day we’re not getting our money.”

Daniel could not be reached.

The plan, though sketchy, was the group — which had a Web site claiming widespread success in such developments — would conduct fundraisers and, along with the private donations, seek grants. The culmination would be a $25 million complex, later increased to $40 million, built on the site of the existing Halls Ferry Park. The group conducted one golf tournament here, but declined to release results. Separately, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality determined that because some fields at Halls Ferry were built on reclaimed land, formerly serving as a city landfill, that soil should not be disturbed. The complex was to be managed by a local organization, the Aquila Group, essentially privatizing youth and adult recreation leagues and contracting with a for-profit organization. The city has a similar deal with VenuWorks for operation and management of Vicksburg Auditorium and Vicksburg Convention Center.

While Aquila said in January that economic conditions forced it to back off plans to be a development partner in the sports complex, the group has secured a management contract for youth sports with the city for a second year.

Before the USAPSA deal, Vicksburg had purchased 200 acres south of the Hamilton Heights area and west of Fisher Ferry Road. South Ward Alderman Sid Beauman, a former parks and recreation department head who strongly endorsed the Halls Ferry makeover and said if it was developed, the Fisher Ferry area would not be, has turned his attention to the Fisher Ferry property.

Parks and Recreation director Joe Graves said Wednesday that dirt work will begin on the sports complex in late May or early June. An environmental impact study currently under way must be completed first, he said.

Clear River Construction was awarded a $2.38 million bid by the Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen in December to begin clearing, grubbing and grading. The city set aside $4 million of a $16.9 million bond issue for the first phase of development in August 2007.

Beauman has said the $4 million will ensure at least four softball fields will be completed at the facility.

Aquila manages the youth baseball and girls’ softball programs at Halls Ferry Park. It schedules games, issues equipment, runs concession stands and hires umpires and scorekeepers. Aquila was paid $22,360 in 2008 for its services.

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Contact Steve Sanoski at ssanoski@vicksburgpost.com