Public to look Tuesday at feasibility study for sports complex that Troup says will be ‘in $50 million range’

QUINCY — A public presentation of a feasibility study for a proposed multi-million indoor sports complex in Quincy is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday in City Council chambers.

Quincy Mayor Mike Troup said three entities have been working on the feasibility study since May 2024 — ARCO National, a construction company from Richmond Heights, Mo.;  Hastings and Chivetta, an architecture, planning and interior design firm out of St. Louis; and The Sports Facilities Companies, a Clearwater, Fla., company which helps plan, fund, develop or operate sports, recreation, entertainment and fitness centers.

Troup says several sites in Quincy have been discussed, but none have been “firmed up by any means.” Asked about a potential cost for the facility, Troup said, “Don’t hold me to a specific number, but it’s going to be somewhere in the $50 million range.”

The mayor said the cost of the feasibility study was shared by the Great River Economic Development Foundation, the Quincy Convention and Visitors Bureau and a private individual he didn’t name. He said the idea for such a facility was created during his first year in office.

“When I met with the local hotel group, they said, ‘Look, if you really want to do something to get more heads in beds, Quincy needs a sports facility,’” Troup said. “Based on what we were bringing some other events like the billiards and the Park District continuing to do what they were doing with the softball and baseball tournaments, I said, ‘Hey, you know, let’s look at this as well.”

Troup and Chuck Bevelheimer, former director of planning and development, met more than two years ago with representatives with the Quincy Park District, the Kroc Center, the Quincy Racquet Club, the YMCA, Quincy University and John Wood Community College to learn about the demand in their facilities and how it affects the programming in their membership base. Troup said in April 2023 he wanted a facility between 60,000 and 80,000 square feet with multiple hardwood courts under one roof to be built.

“It’s been confirmed by a lot of people who have athletic facilities that there’s absolutely a need in our community for more gym space,” Troup said at the time. “Now we have to figure out how large and what sports.”

Troup didn’t elaborate on the size of the proposed facility that will be discussed Tuesday, only to say it will have a hard surface with enough room to house eight basketball courts, “plus there’s other things that we can do in the facility.”

“It has the potential of virtually doubling the visitors and tourism dollars that Quincy and Adams County currently gets,” Troup said.

Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Pointe in Springfield, which has eight fields inside a 190,000-square-foot indoor sports dome, is expected to open this year. Troup said that facility is not expected to compete with a facility in Quincy, according to the feasibility study. The Sports Facilities Companies also are overseeing the Springfield complex.

“The feasibility study says this could eventually pay for itself,” Troup said. “They’re the right team of people and organizations to help make this a reality.”

He believes a local partner will be needed to create a successful public-private partnership.

“That would be naming rights and sponsorships and all that good stuff,” Troup said. 

Will the city become involved financially?

“That’s going to be up to the aldermen,” he said. “But it’s rare that a private investor is willing to do the whole thing on their own.”