The SPOT sports complex will serve community

The SPOT is getting closer to its 10-acre sports complex on Wooten Boulevard behind Fred’s Food Club.

Matt Edwards, executive director of The SPOT, which stands for Sharing Positive Outcomes Together, said he’s hopeful the new athletic complex will be completed late 2024 or into 2025. Construction hasn’t started yet. The complex, he said, is an expansion of the youth program organization’s facilities.

“We’re using our entire current space, all 30,000 square feet,” Edwards said. “This is something we’ve longtime wanted. We wanted to expand our sports and health and fitness programs with kids. That’s what’s driving this project.”

The land, which was formerly owned by the local YMCA, was purchased by the Healthcare Foundation of Wilson and donated to The SPOT, along with a $900,000 grant to jump start the work on the new facilities.

According to previous reporting by the Times, the complex is slated to feature a covered pavilion with a multi-use surface for skating and basketball along with a mini soccer pitch. The first of two fields will have lights and bleachers with the goal of hosting football, soccer and youth lacrosse clinics and leagues.

“It’s almost like a community place, but the reason it came about was that health and fitness is very important to kids,” Edwards said. “Focusing on core requirements in school is important. Gym, physical education and arts aren’t taught every day and kids need out to play every day. They need structure, but they need to be able to grow social skills.”

Edwards said the new sports complex is not another J. Burt Gillette Athletic Complex.

“The idea is the community can use that for community events, not necessarily competitions,” Edwards said. “More than anything, this is an expansion of our after-school program. We’ll of course have soccer, football and the covered pavilion. We’ll start youth lacrosse since that’s something our high schools are doing it now. They’re gonna need feeder programs. We’ll bring in good partners, like our schools and Barton College.”

Edwards said he hopes the complex can serve the underserved Hispanic community.

“Because of where we’re located, we’re hoping they (the Hispanic community) can spill over and use our fields,” Edwards said. “It’s cool being able to have the property in a location that would serve the southwest side of Wilson, having a sports complex there is helpful for the lower to moderate marginalized community of Wilson.”

Edwards said one of the things he’s most proud of is that the complex is being by in Wilson, for Wilson, by local contractors. He said it’s nice to see community partners come together for a specific vision.

“That’s the highlight of the facility for us,” Edwards said. “Owens Construction won our bid. Green Engineering is kind of leading the project for us. They’ve done an excellent job navigating the process.”

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