Union County Mayor Jason Bailey is excited to share the news that a grant has been awarded to Union County for construction of a multifield Sports Complex on the half of Luttrell Industrial Park that is still owned by the county. Bailey states that while running for office, he kept hearing that “our kids need something to do!” so he made fulfilling that need part of his initiative. While considering all possible sites, the Luttrell Industrial Park repeatedly checked all of the boxes. It is easy to find and get to, it is already owned by the county so that saves taxpayer dollars, and the county just sold half of the park to the only commercial tenant, Buckeye Scrap Yard, to fund building the Farmers Market, which still leaves 40 acres.

East Tennessee Development District, a company that writes many grants for Union County, has developed a two-stage plan and design for the sports complex. Phase One includes 3 multipurpose ball fields (soccer/football), a concession stand building with restrooms, one pavilion, a small playground, and the upper parking lot. The total cost of Phase One is estimated at $998,757. It will take time and require matching money and/or in-kind contributions from the county. Phase Two is proposed to include a baseball field, a softball field, another concession stand with restrooms, three more pavilions, a larger playground, an amphitheater, another parking lot on the lower end, and walking trails! So, when all phases are completed, the industrial park will be fully utilized. Bailey stresses that this is a two-stage plan, and the grant has only been awarded for stage one; and like all state and county projects, it will take time.

Estimated Project Timeline:
Summer 2021 – Announcing grants, Union County is slated for a larger grant than most surrounding counties.
Fall 2021 – Contract signings, environmental review, and submission of the plan.
Spring 2022 – Release Requests for Bids (RFBs) for components of the plan to get bids for the jobs.
Summer 2022 – Clear and break ground, this will be the community’s biggest opportunity to participate by providing in-kind donations to count toward our share of the cost. Volunteers can help conserve project costs: we will need people with chain saws, weed eaters, shovels, work gloves, etc. to show up, cut down overgrowth and other vegetation, and haul it away.
Fall 2022 – Begin construction as soon as the ground is prepared.
Winter 2022 – Complete construction and closeout Phase One
Spring 2023 – Grand opening!

Our community, particularly our youth, stand to gain so much from this sports complex. Teams looking for places to practice and compete will have top-notch facilities to enjoy for a variety of sports. It may surprise you to learn that soccer is even bigger than football in local youth sports, as there were recently more than 200 of our kids playing soccer but struggling to find places for all of the teams to practice. This sports complex will create more opportunities for our children and serve as a great way to bring more tourism dollars to Union County by hosting games and tournaments.

Construction of the Farmers Market building and stage, as you may have seen, are now under way. Mayor Bailey is also happy to announce that the commissioners have passed a balanced budget and the county is in great shape and moving forward!

Watch for more news about the Luttrell Park Sports Complex as the plans unfold.