News

Grand American to stay in Sparta

Posted January 15, 2016 10:00 pm

By Pete Spitler Staff Writer

EDITOR'S NOTE: To see a video of the conference, see the Herald Tribune's Facebook page and website. The full video of the conference is available here.

The Grand American will stay in Sparta, for this year at least.

In a Friday news conference at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex, officials with the Amateur Trapshooting Association and Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced a "Memorandum of Understanding" had been reached in making sure the ATA's signature event - and the sales tax revenue it generates - stays local.

"In the event the IDNR fails to open the facility by April 15, 2016, IDNR and the ATA will endeavor to negotiate in good faith an amendment to the lease agreement, allowing the ATA to use the facility to host and otherwise conduct all shooting and camping activities at the facility," said Jason Heffley, chief of staff for the IDNR.

If there's no state budget by April 15, the agreement would allow the ATA to use the facility from May 1 until Aug. 31. The Grand American is scheduled from July 28 to Aug. 13.

The agreement does not define terms and Leffley said officials would not do that prior to the April deadline for legal reasons.

"I know there might be questions 'Who's going to man this? Who's going to do this?'" Heffley said. "None of those will be answered, none of those will be discussed until after April 15.

"Our hope is we never actually execute this April 15 option, but it is there to ensure the event will be here in Sparta."

The agreement was signed by ATA President Wayne Morris on Oct. 25 and received by the IDNR's Office of Legal Counsel on Nov. 10. IDNR Director Wayne Rosenthal signed it two days later.

Rosenthal released a statement on Friday regarding the agreement.

"Today's announcement ensures the 2016 ATA Grand American will take place at the World Shooting and Recreational Complex despite the Democratic legislature's failure to pass a balanced budget," Rosenthal said in the statement. "The Rauner administration is protecting this significant economic engine for Southern Illinois by ensuring this premier event will take place at the WSRC."

Previously, the ATA had given the state a deadline of Dec. 15 to give the organization a guarantee that the WSRC would be open for the Grand American.

"We had had this in place since October," Heffley said. "When we did that in October, it was done as an insurance policy. We had always hoped and assumed that we would have a (state) budget and therefore, not need this.

"But the ATA, as a national event, needed to make an announcement sooner rather than later to allow their members and the folks who make their summer travel plans early that the Grand would would in fact be here in Sparta."

Heffley, ATA Executive Director Lynn Gipson and ATA President Wayne Morris did most of the talking at the news conference.

Monica Brackman, director of IDNR's strategic planning and marketing office who handles the marketing at the WSRC, was also present on the podium, but did not speak.

"Today, I hope we are ending the anxiety that our membership has had, the community here, it has been a stressful time," Morris said.

Gipson said the agreement was a relief to him and the ATA's membership that the Grand American will be hosted in Sparta.

"If there's a silver lining to this situation, I think it will be that there is now a heightened awareness of just how in 10 years, this facility has become an important anchor to this community, region and also to the state of Illinois," Gipson said. "Unlike any state park anywhere, the economic impact is tremendous."

State Rep. Jerry Costello II (D-Smithton), who attended the conference along with State Sen. Dave Luechtefeld (R-Okawville) and a laundry list of local officials and dignitaries, issued a news release on Friday that outlined some of that impact.

In August, the City of Sparta took in $133,365.91 in sales tax revenue related to the 2015 Grand American, with more than $1.6 million spent in Sparta alone. More than 4,600 shooters participated in the Grand American, while more than 16,000 came to watch.

Combined with the Scholastic Clay Target Program's National Championships - the WSRC's second-largest event - the complex's total annual economic impact to Southern Illinois is in the ballpark of $24 million, according to Costello.

"It's been amazing talking to people about what the Grand means to them," said Costello, who also circulated petitions to keep the WSRC open. "People who make Sparta a destination for this event, which is the World Series or the Super Bowl of the shooting sports."

Luechtefeld also gave his opinion of the agreement.

"I feel real good about this," he said. "Obviously, you'd like to simply have it open. Is there a better solution? Probably so, but it's not in the works right now."

Heffley said the IDNR's intention is to keep the Grand American in Sparta long-term, but the backdrop of the state's budget situation has created challenges.

"Our hope is that we have a budget by 2017 and that we won't have any problems moving forward," he said. "Our immediate thing was to deal with this year."

Gipson said the AIM (Academics, Integrity, Marksmanship) Grand Championships - the youth shooting program of the ATA - is confirmed for this year. The SCTP, however, is unconfirmed.

The SCTP is under contract for 2017.

"(The SCTP) doesn't have the advocate that the ATA does in Lynn, No. 1," Heffley said. "And No. 2, they were given all the same options to stick with us."

As far as reopening the WSRC to the public, Heffley said that is dependent on the General Assembly passing a budget.

"This is not the only DNR property shut down right now," he said.

Gipson also reiterated that the ATA wants to stay in Sparta.

"We've got to find a way to keep (the Grand American) here," he said. "If we don't have the Grand here, my fear would be that we would never see the Grand like we have come to know it."

Article Categories
News