Speaking at Veteran’s Day services recently, Clarksdale Mayor Chuck Espy said the city has received confirmation of a multi-million-dollar allocation to develop the sportsplex, conference center and grocery store in eastern Clarksdale.
Espy said the money would be used to hire engineers to develop initial plans for the site, secure options on land and handle soil testing, environmental studies and the other details of developing the project.
In March city officials unveiled the Corey L. Moore Sports and Recreation Complex. The project has changed names and scope as it’s now known as the Corey L. Moore Town Center and Sportsplex and will include two new additions – a Blues City Piggly Wiggly and a 50-home residential subdivision – on its 108 acres located off Desoto Avenue near its intersection with the Highway 61 bypass.
As it currently stands, the plan is for the city to fund the building of infrastructure (streets, sidewalks, water and sewer lines) with money from the sale of urban renewal bonds. That cost could range anywhere from $5 million to $10 million.
At this point, no city funds have been spent on the project.
Project Developer Dwan “Dee” Brown said Tuesday that details of the project would be announced closer to Christmas.
