Ground broken for Emerald Acres Sports Connection in Mattoon

MATTOON — Ground was ceremonially broken Wednesday morning for the construction of the 110-acre Emerald Acres Sports Connection athletics complex alongside Interstate 57 and Illinois 16.

The ceremony also included the announcement that the sports complex’s main building will be known as the Sarah Bush Lincoln Fieldhouse and that the SBL Walk-in Clinic in Mattoon will move to this site. The current walk-in location at 200 Dettro Drive will then be used for other SBL clinic purposes.

Mattoon Sports Complex, Inc. board President Blake Pierce, who is finance director for Mattoon-based Rural King, said during the ceremony in a field off the current east end of Remington Road that the idea for the sports complex there got started four years ago.

“We were trying to find ways to spur economic development and progress in our area and discovered the idea of utilizing sports tourism as an engine to drive that,” Pierce said of Rural King and its partners.

The idea led to the formation of the Mattoon Sports Complex not-for-profit organization that will develop, own and operate this planned sports complex at the southwest corner of I-57 and Route 16/Charleston Avenue East.

Emerald Acres will be built on 110 acres donated by Rural King, which plans to open 40 adjacent acres it owns to related retail development. The indoor sports facility is set to open in 2024, followed by the outdoor facilities in 2025. Grunloh Construction, Inc. and Kimley-Horn will lead the construction.

Pierce said project organizers also reached out to the Mattoon City Council and received unanimous support for the plan. He said part of the funding mechanism is a bond issue based upon sales tax revenue from a new business district. This district is centered on Remington Road.

In addition, Pierce said the Sports Complex board has obtained bank loan funding and raised more than $11 million dollars from the community for this project. He announced they also have begun offering engraved bricks for those who would like to have their names on a donor wall at the facility.

“Without the support of everyone, this would not be possible. It’s a true team effort,” said Rural King owner and Chairman Alex Melvin during the ceremony.

Melvin said Emerald Acres will be a catalyst for growth by bringing thousands of visitors to town each year and by bringing additional revenues to the city by increasing customer traffic to existing businesses and spurring the development of new ones.

Rural King sent representatives to a retail real estate convention last week in Las Vegas and heard interest from companies about Mattoon locations due to the opportunities they see there now.

“In the next two years, there will be over $150 million that will be invested in this project and a lot of additional businesses will follow that momentum. That is a significant investment,” Melvin said. 

Sarah Bush Lincoln CEO Kim Uphoff said they are proud to partner with Emerald Acres on a project that will enhance the social and economic well-being of the community.

Uphoff said Mattoon-based Sarah Bush Lincoln has been named the health provider of choice for Emerald Acres. She said the health system will place its walk-in clinic on site for use by the community and visitors to the athletic facilities, and will lend its name to the fieldhouse there.

“The Sarah Bush Lincoln Fieldhouse will host thousands of athletes who will compete on the indoor courts for years to come,” Uphoff said.