Bloomington, Normal councils joint meeting cancelled to decide next steps on sports complex

Koos
Normal Mayor Chris Koos (right), seen here with Bloomington Mayor Tari Renner (left), when both council’s received the consultant’s study on the multi-sports complex in July, 2018. (WJBC file photo)

 

By Neil Doyle

BLOOMINGTON – A meeting scheduled for next week between elected leaders in the Twin-Cities to discuss what to do next about a proposed multi-sports complex has been cancelled.

The meeting was supposed to happen Monday night before the Normal Town Council’s regular meeting.  It was decided early this week the joint meeting will no longer happen, according to Bloomington City Manager Tim Gleason.

“Both mayors got together and I think the belief was that before talking about this publicly we need to gather a little bit more information,” said Gleason.  “And this wasn’t expected to be the end-all conversation anyway.”

The proposed project would cost $43.6 million.

The two municipal governments and the Bloomington-Normal Convention and Visitors Bureau shared in the cost of a $47,000 study that was completed during the summer of last year and included recommendations that will soon be outdated.

Gleason said the next steps would likely involve a second round of consulting from Florida-based Sports Facilities Advisory.

Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]

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