The Vicksburg Municipal Airport property is getting closer scrutiny as a potential site for the city’s proposed sports complex, city officials said.

“I think every possible site should be considered before we go to the ballot box,” Mayor George Flaggs Jr. said. “My goal is to build a sports complex, state of the art, that will be the least cost to the taxpayer of the city of Vicksburg, and why not use available space that you already own.” He said the airport has been operating annually at about a $200,000 deficit.

He said the airport property, which is about 200 acres, has been considered for some time, but not actively discussed because he did not have enough information on the city’s cost to resolve its obligations to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA has invested at least an estimated $800,000 in improvements at the airport over several years.

“I’ve got to get the facts,” he said. “What we are determining right now is how closing it would affect the city of Vicksburg.”

If the city could find a way to resolve its issues with the FAA, he said, “It would cost less for us to have that prepped and ready.”

He said he has discussed the city’s situation with the FAA with Mississippi’s Congressional Delegation.

“If we can do it, it would be the best place. We’ve got a lot of flat land out there,” North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield said.

South Ward Alderman Willis Thompson said his biggest concern about the airport property is the city’s obligations to the FAA.

“In my opinion, you’ve got to do what’s best for the people,” he said. “If it comes out that it is available, then we have to heavily consider it, because it would be in my opinion the best location in Vicksburg to put it at. We own it, we’ve got about 250 acres out there, you’ve got four-lane highway access, and there’s room to develop (U.S.) 61 if it’s sited there. I think it has a lot more pros than cons to put it there. It would be hands down the best.”

Regardless of where the sports complex is built, Flaggs and the aldermen agree the city will go with a lease purchase agreement using a private developer, where the city will acquire the land and the developer will build and manage the complex and lease the equipment back to the city.

“The only way is it would cost us any additional money would be if we go and buy additional land and make site preparation,” Flaggs said.

Mayfield said he could work with a lease purchase or a public/private partnership with a developer to build the complex.

“We would have to sit down with city attorney and accounting director to look at the cost and the feasibility of both options,” he said.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen in April reopened the search for a site for the propose sports complex after residents expressed concern over a report by Diamante Global/JCI Holdings LLC, the city’s consultant for the sports complex site, recommended the city’s property on Fisher Ferry Road as the most cost-effective site to build a sports complex. The residents cited concerns about traffic on Halls Ferry Road, the most direct route to the Fisher Ferry property.

One of the residents at the meeting asked the board to consider the airport property for the sports complex.

The city’s site selection committee is considering two other sites, one southeast of the airport for the complex, but weather has prevented committee members from examining the sites.

In May 2014, Flaggs appointed a committee to examine the city’s recreation program and the need for a sports complex for the city. The committee in December released a report recommending a multipurpose recreation complex on 270 acres of land featuring baseball and softball fields, soccer fields, tennis and basketball courts, walking trail and a multipurpose building with an indoor swimming pool.

Flaggs has set a $20 million budget for the project, and has discussed doing a lease purchase venture with a private company to build and manage the facility, which would eventually be owned by the city.

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 set for tentatively set for Jan. 12.