West Monroe mayor talks indoor sports complex, 4% increase in revenue

West Monroe Mayor Staci Mitchell gave an overview of past, ongoing and future projects at the annual State of the City luncheon Tuesday, with the star of the show being the upcoming indoor sports complex.

The complex, a joint project between the Monroe-West Monroe Convention and Visitors Bureau and the City of West Monroe, is set to be completed in early 2022. The nearly 100,000-square-foot sports complex will feature eight basketball courts that can also double as 16 volleyball courts or 16 pickleball courts. The complex will be situated near the Ike Hamilton Center near the existing cluster of hotels, and it will be used to host a variety of events, ranging from cheer competitions to basketball tournaments.

“It will be a very versatile, multi-use facility and be a tremendous economic driver,” Mitchell said. “That is its number one purpose for our area.”

Mitchell said the indoor sports complex is estimated to have an annual economic impact of $22.5 million and a $1 billion impact over 30 years. The facility is expected to create about 300 new part-time and full-time job positions as well. The complex is currently in the design stage.

According to Alana Cooper, president and CEO of the visitors bureau, the complex has been an ongoing project for a couple of years. After looking at the research, they found that putting the complex near the hotels would help bring revenue to those businesses.