Jimmy Settle

USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee

Montgomery County leaders have conducted an 18-month, behind-the-scenes study that has led to a proposal being announced today to consider building a multi-purpose event center in downtown Clarksville.

County Mayor Jim Durrett's administration has determined that it's now time to try to budget county money to further look into the idea.

The county's top office began working with consultants more than 18 months ago to "uncover options for growth in the area," and held conversations with a wide range of potential stakeholders, including area business leaders.

Surprisingly, Durrett and his Chief of Staff Jeff Truitt said the findings stray from their initial expectations that the community should have a convention center.

Instead, a private consultant says, the downtown area needs a multi-purpose event center (or MPEC) that could involve a triumvirate of the county, the Nashville Predators as a key stakeholder, and Austin Peay State University.

The City of Clarksville is not mentioned, but Truitt told The Leaf-Chronicle that the city's involvement and support, and their separate long-held plans for a sports complex near Interstate 24 and a performing arts and conference center downtown, are "welcomed, very-much needed, and not in conflict with the county's (proposed MPEC)."

City Mayor Kim McMillan's proposed funding toward both initiatives was removed from the budget by the City Council in June 2016.

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A specific downtown location for an MPEC site hasn't been determined, and there are, as yet, no conceptual drawings of a proposed MPEC, said Durrett and Truitt. The County Commission will be asked this spring to include an estimated $200,000 in the County Mayor's portion of the budget to carry these initial findings forward for further study, and refinement.

"Our goal was to research ideas for building the best future for Montgomery County," Durrett said, adding, "Options have been discussed for years, so we engaged professionals to explore and develop various options that would be appropriate for, and beneficial to, our community for review and consideration."

Truitt said that, in June 2015, "we put a little money in the budget for study ... and we started exploring what might work within the downtown area." That money's purpose was not clearly specified in the budget, but it led Durrett's administration to the global consulting firm HVS based in Chicago.

RELATED: Austin Peay sees potential in proposed arena, event center

Durrett said several themes repeatedly came up in the research, but it boiled down to this:

"That Montgomery County has many benefits that make it appealing to businesses and newcomers, but two things lacking are a true destination point and family-centered events."

"Findings initially pointed to the establishment of a sports and entertainment complex in downtown Clarksville to fulfill that chasm, with feasibility studies showing it to be the most lucrative way to revitalize downtown, form deeper connections with the college community, provide a wide assortment of family activities, recruit tourists, and increase interest in Clarksville and the surrounding areas of Montgomery County."

"The statistics, feasibility studies and other research we've seen have caused other potential partners to take notice and desire to be involved," Durrett said. At this point, those partners aren't identified by name.

TIMELINE: Clarksville's history of conference center plans

Preds connection

Potential commitments in an MPEC by the Predators might include hosting youth camps and tournaments in the facility and offering community-based recreation hockey leagues.

In conjunction with the Predators' camps and leagues, the Predators' leadership is in early discussions to manage the facility, as they do for Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, Durrett said.

"The well-oiled machine that the Predators have put into place to run the (Bridgestone Arena) competes for the top entertainment options with New York, Los Angeles and other, much-larger cities," said Durrett.

Predators President and CEO Sean Henry additionally said in a written statement, "We are excited about the vision and thankful to Mayor Durrett and all involved with the potential facility and all of its offerings. As we have seen in downtown Nashville, Antioch and Bellevue, a sports and entertainment facility can serve as a quality-of-life enhancer and an economic driver for new development and business.

"We appreciate the invitation to be a partner on this potential project and look forward to working with Montgomery County, APSU and other partners as it moves forward. This project will benefit all of Clarksville and the surrounding community, including those involved in youth sports, amateur hockey and skating activities," Henry said.

APSU could use the MPEC to hold its Governors and Lady Governors basketball games, bringing Division I athletics to the center. This would mean moving their home games from the Dunn Center to this new facility.

Arena features

Durrett said the initial, phase 1 process would have these features:

Main arena with 25,000 square feet of regulation hockey surface, with the ability to convert to hardwood for basketball games, flat floor space for trade shows, stage setup for concerts and dirt, perhaps for rodeos.

One or two additional rinks of 22,500 square feet each, seating about 500 people and convertible to turf.

Seating for up to 6,000 people in the arena.

15 to 20 executive suites.

Four club rooms totaling 6,000 square feet for special events such as parties and weddings.

Four meeting spaces totaling 4,000 square feet for conferences, seminars and classes.

HVS — the consultant — preliminarily calculates that, over a 20-year period, the facility could generate $289 million in net spending for the community.

'Step out of the shadows'

Durrett cautions this week that the MPEC is still "very much in the early planning stages."

"When we began investing into research to determine what this community would support, we had no idea it would lead in this direction," Durrett said. "Now, we are at a stage where we need to budget to allow more intensive site and facility investigation, as well as allow more due diligence on what the relationships and legal structure would look like.

"Really it's simple, as local leaders, we feel like we owe it to this process to move forward in investigating the possibility of a multi-purpose event center in downtown.

"As people who are committed to Montgomery County's growth for generations to come, we want our community to step out of the shadows and become a destination that sees thousands of visitors and tourists each year," Durrett said.

"We are the fifth fastest-growing county in the state, yet we are ranked 11th in tourism. It is time to change that. We desire for Montgomery County to be an interesting, exciting, unique destination ... and a great place for tourists to come and visit, and of course, spend money."

Reach Business Editor Jimmy Settle at 931-245-0247 and on Twitter @settle_leaf.