Jonesboro officials say Ridge athletic center is on schedule; A&P projects hotel revenue gains from tournaments

Craig Rickard, executive director of the Jonesboro Advertising Promotion Commission, told the City Council on Jan. 20 that construction at the Ridge athletic center is progressing and that crews are installing decking, roofing, steel and tilt-up concrete panels for the main gym and event spaces. "We're on schedule," Rickard said when asked about an opening date, adding the city has been targeting the first quarter of 2027 for operations.

Rickard outlined the facility's scale: an approximately 200,000-square-foot footprint on the main floor that includes an 8-court competition gym (described in the presentation as 65,000 square feet), a roughly 40,000-square-foot natatorium and separate event center courts and support spaces. He also described a full commercial kitchen, an on-site sports retail area and an outdoor water park with slides and an expanded lazy river.

Jerry Morgan, chair of the A&P Commission, presented hotel-tax and economic figures tied to sports tourism, saying 2025 3% hotel revenue totaled $942,000, a 0.6% increase from 2024, and noting an A&P fund that currently receives roughly $300,000 a year for city-requested projects. Morgan said regional tournaments could bring substantial hotel and restaurant revenue and urged finishing other facilities—such as the Shooting Sports Complex—to maximize economic returns.

Council members and others asked operational questions about cash handling and point-of-sale systems. One council member noted recent court rulings limiting wholly cashless operations and requested a clear cash-handling policy for the Ridge that defines who counts receipts, oversight procedures and reconciliation steps. Morgan and other speakers said a mix of cash and cashless systems and explicit internal controls would likely be required.

The presentation also previewed sports-facility management: Sports Facilities, a private operator based in Clearwater, Florida, will manage day-to-day operations and has hired Brandon Schrader as general manager. Rickard and Morgan said the vendor model could help bring tournaments and regional teams to Jonesboro but emphasized the need to coordinate programming across the Ridge, Southside and Joe Mack Campbell Park to meet bond and operating expectations.

Council members said they wanted more detail on operations, vendor contracts and cash procedures before large-scale programming begins. The mayor and staff said they will return with further specifics and staff-level policies.