TR sports complex moves forward

Three Rivers’ effort to annex a 77-acre property from Lockport Township gained considerable strength Thursday, following support from a key state official.
Shelly Edgerton director of the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, sided with a recommendation from her five-member commission and approved the annexation.
Edgerton’s signature Thursday means Three Rivers cleared the most significant – and potentially final – hurdle in the matter that will lead to the development of a 17-field sports complex. The contested property is between North Main Street to the west and Buckhorn Road to the east.
Lockport Township supervisor Mark Major said he wasn’t surprised by Edgerton’s decision. Still, he said he was disappointed. Major and his township board don’t meet again until July 10. He said the two weeks will give him a chance to learn what options, if any, remain for Lockport Township. For now, however, he said it would be premature to state a definite course of action.
Meanwhile, Three Rivers City Manager Joe Bippus said the municipality earlier this year anticipated Edgerton’s support and started the process of seeking bids for architect and design work. Consequently, groundbreaking could occur by this fall and partial use of the proposed $4.1 million complex might begin by next summer.